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My business focus is helping organizations solve info overload
in the workplace; but I know there are millions
of people out there who can use some immediate advice to improve how they cope
with the flood of Email and other distractions. If you are one of them (OK, one of us), this page shares some insight and
tools you can adopt yourself. Choose carefully - it's up to you to decide what works for you.
- Process email in preset time slots only. I can't
overstress this one: checking one's email 24x7 is a big killer of productivity and peace of mind. A
good arrangement is 1-2 slots daily, preferably at those times of the day when you are least creative.
Q: OMG, what if someone needs to contact me urgently between slots?
A: That's what telephones, IM, and SMS are for, remember? - Turn off
incoming message alerts! Beeps, animated icons, "toast" alert pop-ups that tell
you a new message has just arrived - turn them all off, so you can focus and think.
Yes, on your mobile device too!
- Don't use
your Inbox as a To Do list. Never keep read messages in it just to remind you to
do something - there are better task management tools for that. Move all read messages to
folders (or the trashcan). A flooded Inbox can obscure important messages and is depressing
to boot.
- "Read every message only once". This
continues the previous idea: once you open a message, process and move it immediately -
respond to it, delete it, delegate it, file it in a folder, or put it in a "To do later"
folder.
- Be ruthless - this
is your lifetime that's leaking away. You do need to scan email, it's an
important work and social tool, but letting it hog too much of your time comes at the
expense of other work and life actions that are far more rewarding and important. Be swift and
ruthless...
Q: What if I inadvertently miss an important message?
A: If it's so important, they'll send it again, or call you, won't they? Better ask,
what if you never have time to play with your children?
-
Bit Literacy by Mark Hurst (Amazon)
-
The Hamster Revolution by Mike Song, Vicki Halsey and Tim Burress
(Amazon) -
Getting Things Done by David Allen (Amazon)
[not strictly about Email, but its thinking is the basis for many that are] -
Distracted by Maggie Jackson
(Amazon)
You are welcome to recommend additional resources for this page! |
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If you want to help stop Info Overload in your workplace, click here
to see how we can help!
Software tools
The following innovative start-ups make tools you may find
useful to help with your email management. Take a look!
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