Inbox Zero
The 4 D's you say? Yes that's right, these tips will get you busting through your inbox in no time..
Delete (drop). Scan through for unwanted emails. I can usually delete at least half of my emails without having to open them. I am especially brutal when back from a holiday and have a backlog. Ridiculous email? See ya! Invitation for a meeting I don't need to attend, BYE BYE..
Do. If something arrives in your inbox and it is both important and can only be done by you, it’s probably worth cracking on and just doing it. But, if you feel that working on the task will interrupt what you’re doing, well then, that's your call. If you can deal with it in less than two minutes, do it right away. Getting through easy tasks builds momentum and primes you for the bigger jobs. Any more than two mins, and it enters your 'Defer' list.
Delegate. If someone else can perform a task at least two-thirds as well as you, delegate. If it's a small, mundane task, delegate. If it's outside of your skills, delegate. If you don’t have anyone to delegate to, ask us!
Defer. When you can't delete, delegate or do the thing within two minutes then some tasks can be deferred. If the email requires you to perform a certain action, takes some time to assimilate and you’re the only person who can do it then defer til later when you have availability.
If, in the 1 minute of reading this you've received 15 emails, then stop, send 1 more email hello@muthacollective.com and we can work out a plan. Deep breaths.
