Out of Sight, Out of Mind 

 

Out of sight, out of mind is both good and bad. Somewhere around 65-70% of the population best learns visually.  That means that if something needs to be top of mind it needs to be within our sight.  And I don't know about you, but I continually battle what "in sight" means.  Like many of you I have to be vigil about what to keep in plain sight and what is best tucked away only to be pulled out when needed. I know that you and I are in good company because all of the studies on learning styles illustrate that visual is the strongest. One only has to look at how we get the best information these day...through videos and pictures, to know that we are only getting more and more visual.

 

We must move from out of sight, out of mind, to in sight, top of mind, and keep only what needs to be in the forefront of out sight. To do otherwise creates a lot of clutter. Email clutter, message clutter, desk clutter, all of which leads to brain clutter.  I can just feel the drawers in my brain bulging.  We all know the feeling.  I know I'm one of those people who move in a lot of different directions all day everyday and get a certain satisfaction from being able to "see" lots of things at once.  You know the type.  You are probably very similar.

 

I'll tell you what doesn't work for me.  Trying to keep a perfectly functioning, "clean" inbox. What does help is keeping a reasonable number of emails in my inbox and in my sent box. By reasonable I mean a number that works for me the way I work.  So you might do the same.  Figure out what number it is you are willing to search through to find what you need without moving into the multitude or folders you've likely got set up to "organize" yourself.  For some of you that might be as few as 100, for some of you it's a number in the thousands. It might be best if you decide how many emails to keep "in view" based on a period of time such as every quarter.  Generally speaking if you haven't viewed an email in 3 months, it's a good idea to file it or delete it.  If you don't believe that keeping too many messages in the inbox wastes time, just put a tick mark on a paper every time your eyes glance at a message more than once.  Believe me the eyeball time adds up. 

 

In 2010 Google introduced Priority Inbox for Gmail.  It didn't get the traction hoped for.  Much of the discussion as to why not centers on the need to train it and people's reluctance to do so.  I haven't used it because we use Microsoft Exchange for mail/Outlook as do more than 60% of small and mid sized businesses.  Gmail Priority considers a users interaction with messages in the conversation, how often you read messages with a particular label (category), messages sent directly to you, who is in the conversation,  words in the message and messages that you tend to mark as important.  Apple is bringing out VIP Mail which relies on the users direct input for organizing priorities but it isn't expected to get high marks.  

 

Come join our discussion on our blog or I welcome your feedback through email.  

 

Ameci Pizza and Pasta, Inc. trades as Ameci Pizza and Pasta at 43 locations throughout CA. The pizzerias occupy spaces of 1,200 sq.ft. to 1,500 sq.ft. in strip centers or f2,500 sq.ft. reestanding locations. Growth opportunities are sought in select markets nationwide during the coming 18 months. Typical leases run five years with three, five-year options. Specific improvements are required. Preferred demographics include a population of 30,000 within two miles earning $65,000 as the average household income. Major competitors include Domino's Pizza, California Pizza Kitchen and Pizza Hut. Freestanding locations must be 2,500 sq.ft. The company is franchising throughout 35 states nationwide.  For more information, contact Nick Andrisano, Ameci Pizza and Pasta, Inc., 6630-B Independence Avenue, Canoga Park, CA 91303

 

Chick-fil-A, Inc. trades as Chick-fil-A at 1,661 locations throughout 39 states nationwide. The chain of quick-serve restaurants occupies spaces of 4,000 sq.ft. in regional malls and freestanding locations. Growth opportunities are sought throughout the existing markets during the coming 18 months. Typical leases run 10 years with four, five-year options. Preferred cotenants include Home Depot, Lowe's Home Improvement, Target and Walmart. Preferred demographics include a population of 35,000 within one mile earning $50,000 as the average household income. Drive-thrus are preferred. The company will consider inline spaces of shopping centers. For more information, contact Erwin Reid, Chick-fil-A, Inc., 5200 Buffington Road, Atlanta, GA 30349-2998

 

Miller's Ale House operates 56 locations throughout FL, GA, IL, NV, NY and PA. The chain of restaurants, offering steaks, salads, sandwiches, pasta, seafood and desserts, occupies spaces of 10,000 sq.ft. to 12,000 sq.ft. in endcaps of shopping centers and freestanding locations. Growth opportunities are sought throughout CT, DE, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA and Washington, DC during the coming 18 months, with representation by SRS Real Estate Partners. A land area of two-acres is required for freestanding locations. The company will also consider second-generation spaces. For more information, contact David Hochberg, SRS Real Estate Partners, 366 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10017