You’re busy. Really busy. Stuff piles up. Daily. And out of all the places you need to check messages, the biggest nightmare is often email. Let’s talk solutions.
First of all, ignoring the onslaught is a temporary, and let’s face it, bad fix. Build in a short amount of time every day to weed through; and if it’s been a while, dedicate a few hours to get current. Not only is the gigantic pile likely weighing on your mind, but you’re probably missing something important.
David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, a go-to productivity guide for more than a decade, touts the idea that you’re not productive until you’re organized. In a recent revision, Allen recommends a “do it, delegate it or defer it” approach to email review. Browse to see what emails can be handled quickly, and then decide if you can review and respond (this includes delegating) in two minutes or less. If so, do it and get it off your plate.
While this doesn’t solve everything when it comes to the blitz hitting your many inboxes, it can do wonders for managing the email overload. (Aren’t your shoulders feeling lighter already?)