MODERN MANAGEMENT
system. It should be cleared to zero
at least once per week.
When you process your emails, be
decisive. Delete what you don’t need.
File the things you are finished with,
but feel you need to keep. Delegate
anything that is not a good use of
your time. But most importantly,
schedule your actions into your task
list or calendar rather than keeping
them highlighted in your inbox. This
will give you greater control over the
action as you will be managing the
priority within the context of your
time.
Reduce the Noise
If you are getting more than 30
emails per day, you are probably
getting some level of noise mixed
into the emails that actually add
value and help you to do your job.
Spam, junk, marketing, newsletters,
system notifications and even emails
from your colleagues that are just…
well, noise. To reduce this, try the
following strategies:
with folders for every topic they have
ever dealt with. If that is you, it is
slowing you down. It takes too long
to file emails into the right folder,
and it also takes longer to find them
again when you need them.
Your Inbox is an important tool, but it
should serve you, not the other way
around. Get it organised and you will
find that you will start spending less
time in your Inbox and more time
doing the real work.
Do yourself a favour and cull your
filing folders to less than 10. Decide
on the nine most critical folders for
your role, and add to that a general
filing folder for everything else.
• Use your Junk email filter to block
emails that you do not want to
receive
• Use email rules to auto-file
informational emails into your filing
system
• Delete decisively. If it is not
relevant, get rid of it
Instant time saving! And if you want
to get really ninja with your filing,
consider just using one folder for
everything. Just make sure it is not
your Inbox, as we need to clear that
to zero…
Keep it Simple
Once you have reduced the flow
of incoming emails, next you
need to think about how you store
them. We all feel the need to keep
emails, usually ‘Just in case’. That
is not a problem. It is how we keep
them than can be the problem. In
my experience, most people use
complex, multi-level filing systems
Process to Zero
When I run training, possible the
most enjoyable moment in the day is
when participants get their Inboxes
all the way down to zero. At the start
of the day they don’t believe it is
possible. The secret is to treat your
inbox like a post box. It is simply
where you receive emails. It should
not be used as a to-do list or a filing
Dermot Crowley is a productivity
thought leader, author, speaker and
trainer. Dermot works with leaders,
executives and professionals in many
of Australia’s leading organisations,
helping to boost the productivity of
their people and teams. He is the
author of Smart Work, published by
Wiley. For more information, visit www.
dermotcrowley.com.au or email dermot.
[email protected]
May 2016
ModernBusiness
27