• Are you frustrated and overwhelmed by all of the emails in your inbox?
• Do you have trouble finding information when you need it?
• Are you frequently scrambling to get something done at the last minute because the email got buried in your inbox?
• Do you spend too much time drowning in emails and not getting things done?

The amount of email we receive has increased exponentially over the past few years, especially if you have your own business. And we are expected to read every single message! I have heard of people declaring email bankruptcy, but that’s really not an option (and it doesn’t really address the problem either).

Here are just a few things to help you make the shift from email overload to email under control…and maybe even inbox zero.

1. Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.- Albert Einstein
If you don’t make any changes to the way you look at, review, think about and act upon (or don’t act upon) your email, then how can you expect different results? Open your mind to a new way of thinking about your inbox, when to check it and how to process it. Consider that finding the perfect system can sometimes be about experimentation and tweaking.

2. Set up a system. I am sure you have all heard what SYSTEM stands for…it is a process or set of steps that can Save You Stress, Time, Energy and Money. It doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler and more repeatable it is the more likely you are to be successful with it.

3. Streamline and update. Technology changes…and quickly. But it’s actually the technology that is slower to change that we have a more difficult time recognizing and changing.

Email folders are the prime example. How much time are you spending moving your emails into separate folders so you can access them later? And do you still have difficulty finding what you need? Why spend so much time on maintaining something you are not likely to use? I am sure you have heard of the 80/20 rule (Pareto’s Principle) which infers (loosely translated here) that you will only refer back to 20% of what you file. That means 80% of what you spend time categorizing and moving around will never be referred to again.

This is just the beginning…If you are interested in learning more on how to tackle your email overload, I have created a Detox Your Inbox Teleclass series. The first of which is a free teleclass this Thursday, June 5th, sign up here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 8:22 am and is filed under Email Overload, Organize your Bytes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.