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MANAGE YOUR IN-BOX MORE EFFICIENTLY |
 VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 3 Your In-box shouldn't be used as a catch-all for emails you want to save, nor should it be used as a calendar, diary or to-do list.
CREATE FOLDERS AND USE THEM. Create folders based on your work or personal filing structures so that the names of the folders you create corespond to the names of your paper files. My folders look something like this: Clients (with a sub-folder for each client), Professional Associations, Family & Friends, Newsletters, Personal, Humor, etc.
To create a folder in Oulook:
(1) Right-click on Inbox in the Folder List View.
(2) Click on New Folder and enter a name for the folder
(3) Click OK
REPLY TO EMAILS IMMEDIATELY IF IT TAKES LESS THAN TWO MINUTES.
SET ASIDE TIME EACH DAY TO CLEAR OUT YOUR IN-BOX UNTIL YOU'VE CAUGHT UP. I recommend starting the work day 1/2 hour earlier than you would ordinarily so that you're not distracted by phones or other interruptions. That doesn't mean that every project needs to be completed right now, or that each question must be answered. It simply means that you are reading the emails, scheduling projects that need to be done, and recording events, either in your calendar, your planner, or your to-do list. I keep an old-fashioned yellow legal pad on my desk at all times.
TO ADD A CONTACT QUICKLY: If you receive an email from someone you want to add to your contact list, here's a quick way to add that person (using Outlook).
(1) Open the email message from the person you want to add to your contact list.
(2) In the From box in their email, right-click the name you want to save to your Contacts and then click Add to Contacts. Fill in any additional information you want, and click "save".
And finally.....DON'T BECOME A SLAVE TO E-MAIL If you check your e-mail every 10 minutes, try changing that to every 20 minutes. The ideal situation is you read your e-mail regularly enough to be on top of things, but not so regularly that you're a slave to your inbox. CONSTANTLY CHECKING E-MAIL IS OFTEN A WAY OF PROCRASTINATING. |
