As much as we tell ourselves that multitasking is productive, we know at an intuitive level that it’s not. The lie of multitasking is that, if we just do it well enough, […]
Email Management
How to Be Brave and Send Email You Don’t Want To
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 […]
Use Batch Actions to Get Through Your Email Faster
Does the sheer number of emails you have in your Inbox intimidate you? If so, you probably have a negative spiral going on – the more you hide from your email, the bigger that pile of emails get, and the bigger it gets, the more you hide from it.
Batch actions will help get you out of that trap because 80% of that email pile can be eliminated very quickly.
Hitting The Reset Button on Digital Clutter
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Ethan Waldman of Cloud Coach. In the offline world, I own too much stuff, and keep even more of it around. Long after these things are no longer […]
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. […]
Why Working From Your Email Inbox Doesn’t Work
Many people work from their email inbox, but it doesn’t really work. This article addresses why it doesn’t work and provides a couple of alternatives.
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 […]
How Best-By Dates Make Us More Effective
Have you ever had someone ask you to do something and you didn’t do it “in time” because they didn’t tell you when they needed it done? Have you ever been frustrated […]
Build Daily Momentum Using the 10/15 Split
Raise your hand if you’ve recognized too late in the day that you haven’t been doing the stuff that really matters, only to freak out, get overwhelmed, and resolve to work longer […]
Screencast: How Concentrate Helps You Focus and Interrupt Habits
[If you’re reading this via email or RSS, you might have to click through to see the video.] In a previous post, I talked about the application Concentrate and how it’s great […]
2 Gmail Features That'll Make You More Effective
Enabling these two features of Gmail makes managing email a lot easier. This screencast shows you how to enable these features and why they’re so useful.
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 […]
Yes, I *Did* Release A Product Last Week
I’ll make this one quick. I was talking to a long-time reader over the weekend, and here’s how part of the dialog went: Charlie: “It was a great week! I created a […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
When Email Messages Are Mini-Products
Something has always bugged me about the common advice about email correspondence. It was only when I was talking to Naomi yesterday that it really hit me: for many of us, email […]
How to Get Started by Asking Questions
Usually, asking how to get started via email is ineffective. This is especially true for those email messages that pretty much amount to someone saying “I’m stuck and need help.” There are […]