Email Efficiency

A couple months ago, I gave a presentation to a group of my peers on email organization. I covered topics such as:

Batch Email Viewing

Disabling the new email tones and notifications and forcing yourself to check email at regular, spaced intervals between which you focus on the tasks at hand. Email is intrusive and distracting. Limiting your exposure to it will help you be more efficient.

Having as Few Folders as Possible

Using Microsoft Outlook Categories to tag and segregate emails by category and color within a few high-level folders instead of spending countless hours sorting email into dozens of folders.

Making Rules Work for You

Tagging emails with categories is great, but now that I found a script that will enable me to run Inbox Rules that normally activate when email arrives, at the click of the button. Now most of my email will be filled automatically once I have tagged it.

Having as Few Emails in Your Inbox as Possible

I have (7) emails in my personal inbox and only (2) back at the office. These are the emails that require my follow up tomorrow. Reducing inbox clutter also helps curb the the Zeigarnik Effect, a compulsive need to think about incomplete tasks.

If these sort of things interest you, I would highly recommend checking out The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss and Less Doing, More Living by Ari Meisel.

Stay well engineered,

Stay well engineered,

Devon

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These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These statements or products referenced are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.