Today, I thought I’d focus on inboxes. We all have at least one of them. They can seem like they have a life of their own and just grow and grow.
Some people use their inbox as a to-do list. I’m not the biggest fan of this. There are better tools, and, after all, not everything we need to action arrives by email. It’s important to prioritise.
So, my tip is to ‘handle’ each email only once, if possible.
Look at your inbox at set times. This might be hourly. It might be twice a day. You’ll know what works best for you.
Try to take one of the following actions right away:
👉🏻 Delete or archive it
Read the email. Does it require any action or contain any information you may need in the future? No? Delete it or archive it.
👉🏻 Action it
If it contains a task that can be completed relatively quickly, get it done and out of the way. Then either file, delete or archive the message.
👉🏻 Respond
If you can answer the email quickly in a few lines, get it gone. Then either file, delete or archive the message.
👉🏻 Delegate
If the content is something that’s better handled by someone else, forward the email and then either file, delete or archive.
👉🏻 Defer
These are the stickier ones, the ones that take more time or need some consideration. I often recommend a ‘to be actioned’ folder. File them in there until a more appropriate time.
By following the above steps, it helps alleviate messages competing for attention in your inbox. It’s all too easy to miss something.
If you're still struggling to keep on top of your inbox, this blog sets out several ways in which Lummus Virtual Solutions can help.
If you'd like to know more, please feel free to contact me.
Let's just have a chat and see where it takes us.
