The majority of email messages that you get can either be easily processed or really aren't worth your attention anyway. This is one of the fundamental principles of Email Triage, and it’s true whether it's our system or any other that you find or create. This principle is obvious upon … [Read more...] about How to Be Brave and Send Email You Don’t Want To
Email Management
Your Wheelhouse (In or Out of Your Inbox)
Editor's Note: This post was written by Megan Morris. I've used Email Triage many times since I bought it to cope with email overwhelm, before I was working directly with Productive Flourishing. On a practical basis, it's been a life saver. In addition to the practical aspect, however, it helped me … [Read more...] about Your Wheelhouse (In or Out of Your Inbox)
Why Working From Your Email Inbox Doesn’t Work
A lot of us keep part of our To-Do list in our Inbox. Way back when we didn't get many email messages, that was okay. Things are different now. We get more email more frequently than we used to and, at the same time, the expectation that we'll act on those email messages faster increases the urge to … [Read more...] about Why Working From Your Email Inbox Doesn’t Work
How to Write Brief Emails Without Being a Jerk
I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead." --Mark Twain At a certain point, you won't be able to process email the way you used to. I want to be very clear that it's not a matter of choice -- you really won't be able to do it. Just because you won't be able to do it … [Read more...] about How to Write Brief Emails Without Being a Jerk
2 Gmail Features That'll Make You More Effective
This screencast covers two Gmail tips that will make a huge difference in your ability to process your email. This will be old news to some of you, but after helping a few friends with these tips over the past couple of weeks, I decided that I'd share them publicly to help those who don't know about … [Read more...] about 2 Gmail Features That'll Make You More Effective
Inbox Zero Is Overrated
How many clothes are in your hamper right now? Are you desperately trying to make sure that not a single dirty sock is sitting in there? Unless you have OCD or are running low on underwear, you're probably not too concerned about the clothes sitting unattended in your hamper — I'd have very little … [Read more...] about Inbox Zero Is Overrated
The S.T.A.R. Method: A More Effective, Less Stressful Way to Process Email
Do you struggle with having a manageable email Inbox? Are you worried that you're missing something important because you can't keep up with the volume of email traffic you're getting? Don't worry, you're not alone - and there's an easier way to have less stress and overwhelm without being … [Read more...] about The S.T.A.R. Method: A More Effective, Less Stressful Way to Process Email
Stop Checking Email. Process It Instead.
Odds are, if you're reading this, you've probably checked your email a few times today. And I have a couple of questions for you: Why are you checking your email? What's in there that will really make a difference in what you're doing for the day? Take a second to think about your … [Read more...] about Stop Checking Email. Process It Instead.
Objectify Email to Get a Grip on It
Imagine that I hired you to sort marbles out of a bucket. In your bucket are three types of marbles: 1) chipped marbles, 2) normal-sized marbles of various colors, and 3) jumbo-sized marbles of various colors. I want you to throw away the chipped ones, sort the normal-sized marbles by color and … [Read more...] about Objectify Email to Get a Grip on It
R.A.F.T: Managing Email Rather Than Letting Email Manage You
A note from Charlie: This post was published before I developed the S.T.A.R method, which is a much more effective way to handle the volume of email we get nowadays. 2007 was a much simpler era of email management. Email has become the primary method of communication for most people in nearly all … [Read more...] about R.A.F.T: Managing Email Rather Than Letting Email Manage You