Email isn’t always easy. If you get around to cleaning out your inbox, the next time you log in you’re right back to being overloaded. What if that could change? What if you could check your email and there’s nothing there? What if you felt a little disappointed about having no new messages instead of overwhelmed? To get your Email to Zero and keep it there, follow these 5 CATCHsystem steps:
- Get a full-featured Messaging system.
- Understand Workflow.
- Process your Mail.
- Incorporate Filters.
- Continue to Update.
We discussed Messaging systems last week and recommended Gmail or Outlook, so we’ll move to #2.
Workflow is very important to getting and keeping your Email to Zero. The important part is making sure you see your messages once. The problem with an overcrowded inbox is that we leave unfinished work in there. Which causes us to look at a message more than it deserves. Additionally, unfinished email stays in our head, reminding us it needs to be done. It will also frustrate you because it was something you didn’t want to do in the first place and still don’t want to take care of every time you see it again! So, the important part is looking at your messages once. If a message takes less than 2 minutes and 1 step to take care of then get it done now!! If not, create a folder inside your full-featured Messaging system that says ‘Waiting’ or ‘To Be Finished.’ Make a decision on it and move on. This will free up valuable Inbox space and brain space. Once you make a decision on something, no matter how small, you feel better about it. And now that you’re feeling better about your email, it’s a good time to start talking about Processing all your mail. Come back next week as we’ll go through the steps to set this up, so you can continue to feel good about email and hopefully everything else with it.
If you’d like more explanation of workflow, read this blog entry by Thomas Nelson publisher, Michael Hyatt. See how a highly successful and busy publisher keeps tabs on HIS inbox. Thanks. :)
