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To help you figure out which email folder system is right for you, we've outlined these three different methods in further detail below: The Deadline Approach
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The Four Folders System works as a combination of the Deadline Approach and the Three Actions Rule by working both with the project deadlines and action steps you need to take. The Three Actions Rule organizes your emails into three simple categories - file and forget, read and action, and reference and no action. The Deadline Approach rethinks the purpose of folders - instead of organizing your messages by subject, you organize your messages by deadline so you're able to always stay on top of your tasks. Personally speaking, we're fans of the folder methods, especially those that use your email folder system in creative ways to get through your day. There are those who prescribe to the Inbox Zero method, those who have a dozen or so different folders for every sub-category imaginable, and those who just wing it.
#EMAIL ORGANISE HOW TO#
When it comes to figuring out how to organize your email folders, there are so many different schools of thought. Clear your inbox and use that going forward for your emails – filing and deleting as required.įor the backlog, assume that the most recent ones are the best to start with, and when you do have time, methodically go through them deleting as much as possible.Using Categories to Organize Email Folders This is especially true when on holiday for example and you get back and its on overload (see next point for how to deal with this)ĭraw a line in the sand and create a BACKLOG file for all the emails you have collected that are swamping you. Not knowing whats important and whats not, and getting bogged down. If you are like the majority of people, you are slowly drowning in email backlog. Great times are when you have come back from lunch and are not involved in anything as yet, and around 3/4pm when you are having a break – this gives you enough time to deal with anything that has come in – but gives you control back over your email and not the other way around. Check it in the morning when you arrive at work (or over your coffee when you are home) to ensure there is nothing urgent to be dealt with, then choose 2 more times during the day that fit in with your schedule that would be suitable for checking them. There is also the risk that something may come along that takes you completely away from what you were in the middle of – and then where would you be! You know there could be something there that needs your attention, and its drawing you in! It is a great way to avoid your work, and it takes time to keep looking at it. I don’t answer the phone when I am working as I call back at a time more convenient (I always look at who’s calling to ensure it’s not for example my daughters nursery, as this would always be picked up!), I open the post while the kettle is boiling in the morning rather than as soon as it comes through the door, and if I need to be quick at the shops I try and time it so its less likely I will bump into people that I would otherwise be tempted to chat to for a while. I am a complete advocate of avoiding interruptions as much as possible. It stops your train of thought, is usually not necessary, and once finished it takes a long time to get back into the task you were interrupted from. Interruptions are the biggest waste of time that anyone has. Tip #1 – Don’t constantly check your emails