It’s well documented that ‘information overload’ is a big cause of stress and anxiety in the workplace and an overflowing email Inbox can be a major culprit. Having a poor filing system can also slow us down and make it difficult to find the information we need when we want it.
I’m in the middle of reading a great book called ‘Bit Literacy’ by Mark Hurst which is full of tips and advice on improving productivity in the workplace.
My favourite is the following which I recommend that you try;
- Create a new folder in your Inbox called !TO DO LIST! (see screenshot below)
- Spend some time ruthlessly reading, deleting and filing into sub-folders all remaining email that is currently sitting in your Inbox
- All emails that still require an action should be moved into the !TO DO LIST!
- The ultimate aim is to be left with a COMPLETELY empty Inbox at the end of each day (see screenshot below) and an empty !TO DO LIST! folder by the end of the week
Try it and I promise you’ll be amazed by how much more efficient and productive you feel.
Empty Inbox
!TO DO LIST!