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Slide Notes
The inbox game. Every professional knows the struggle.
You wake up, roll over, grab your phone, and see your inbox has exploded. 30 new emails since you last checked. If you’re like most people that means your inbox total is now 1,230.
Or if you only have access to your email from your work computer, you might arrive at work and spend the first 2 hours every monday digging out from the mess.
Well, what if we told you there is a different way? A way that you can begin to control your work habits through reducing your inbox clutter?
In some ways it’s almost like reaching down and touching the line during a series of sprints--you know there’s more coming, but for that one second, the feeling of accomplishment is enough.
This Haiku Deck only scratches the surface of email tips and principles written by Jason Illari (PA) and Lindsey Baker (MD).
Reach out to Jason at @smallmuseumlead on twitter to start a conversation about any of the tips mentioned. You can empty your inbox too!
Jason and Lindsey work and advocate for museums in the U.S. and have taken an interest in how leaders of small non-profit organizations communicate priorities via email with limited time and resources.
You wake up, roll over, grab your phone, and see your inbox has exploded. 30 new emails since you last checked. If you’re like most people that means your inbox total is now 1,230.
Or if you only have access to your email from your work computer, you might arrive at work and spend the first 2 hours every monday digging out from the mess.
Well, what if we told you there is a different way? A way that you can begin to control your work habits through reducing your inbox clutter?
In some ways it’s almost like reaching down and touching the line during a series of sprints--you know there’s more coming, but for that one second, the feeling of accomplishment is enough.
This Haiku Deck only scratches the surface of email tips and principles written by Jason Illari (PA) and Lindsey Baker (MD).
Reach out to Jason at @smallmuseumlead on twitter to start a conversation about any of the tips mentioned. You can empty your inbox too!
Jason and Lindsey work and advocate for museums in the U.S. and have taken an interest in how leaders of small non-profit organizations communicate priorities via email with limited time and resources.
Empty Inbox: By Jason Illari and Lindsey Baker
Published on Nov 18, 2015
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Empty Inbox!
The inbox game. Every professional knows the struggle.
You wake up, roll over, grab your phone, and see your inbox has exploded. 30 new emails since you last checked. If you’re like most people that means your inbox total is now 1,230.
Or if you only have access to your email from your work computer, you might arrive at work and spend the first 2 hours every monday digging out from the mess.
Well, what if we told you there is a different way? A way that you can begin to control your work habits through reducing your inbox clutter?
In some ways it’s almost like reaching down and touching the line during a series of sprints--you know there’s more coming, but for that one second, the feeling of accomplishment is enough.
This Haiku Deck only scratches the surface of email tips and principles written by Jason Illari (PA) and Lindsey Baker (MD).
Reach out to Jason at @smallmuseumlead on twitter to start a conversation about any of the tips mentioned. You can empty your inbox too!
Jason and Lindsey work and advocate for museums in the U.S. and have taken an interest in how leaders of small non-profit organizations communicate priorities via email with limited time and resources.
You wake up, roll over, grab your phone, and see your inbox has exploded. 30 new emails since you last checked. If you’re like most people that means your inbox total is now 1,230.
Or if you only have access to your email from your work computer, you might arrive at work and spend the first 2 hours every monday digging out from the mess.
Well, what if we told you there is a different way? A way that you can begin to control your work habits through reducing your inbox clutter?
In some ways it’s almost like reaching down and touching the line during a series of sprints--you know there’s more coming, but for that one second, the feeling of accomplishment is enough.
This Haiku Deck only scratches the surface of email tips and principles written by Jason Illari (PA) and Lindsey Baker (MD).
Reach out to Jason at @smallmuseumlead on twitter to start a conversation about any of the tips mentioned. You can empty your inbox too!
Jason and Lindsey work and advocate for museums in the U.S. and have taken an interest in how leaders of small non-profit organizations communicate priorities via email with limited time and resources.
Photo by Stuck in Customs
Email is for communication not task management
Excerpt: "Essentially, email is a communication tool. We exchange information and ideas about requests, to-dos and follow-ups and this happens constantly, instantaneously. When we truly begin to grapple with the fundamental reason why email exists, we can finally put to rest all that inbox clutter..."
Photo by mrkumm
Respond if needed- then delete it or file it
Excerpt: "Question A. Is the email essentially junk? If yes, delete it. It almost goes without saying, but believe it or not many folks do not get rid of junk the moment it arrives. Delete it immediately! If you are debating on whether something is junk, delete it! Remember, when in doubt, throw it out! Many of us would never consider becoming hoarders in real life, but when it comes to our inbox, all bets are off. Break the cycle."
Photo by Leo Reynolds
Rely on others, focus on yourself
Excerpt: "Throughout our lives, relying on others is one of the hardest things to do. Independence is cherished and we almost see it as a weakness to rely on other people or depend on them for assistance or reminders. This principle is not about shirking duty or passing the buck, but recognizing that many of the people that we correspond with via email are responsible and hard-working just like ourselves. If you are emailing a person who tends to be responsible, outgoing, proactive and on top of things let them handle a task, if the ball is in their court. File their correspondence away with confidence and should they need you again, they will email you back. Make a note on your task list to “check-in” or “keep the project on the radar” but don’t leave the email chain in your inbox as a reminder. It will only make you more anxious."
Photo by Leo Reynolds
Unsubscribe is not a dirty word
Excerpt: "Remember last year when that mom unsubscribed to her reiki tips emails and was charged by the group and found guilty by a jury of her peers? No? Of course this didn't happened because it never will! Unsubscribe whenever possible or feasible. Naturally, there are some subscriptions that make sense or are a real passion for readers, but most of the time they clog up our inbox. Setting up a subscription folder or file is another great way to clear an inbox. If you're not ready to take the plunge and unsubscribe, at least move these types of emails into a separate, quarantined “subscriptions” folder."
Photo by jontintinjordan
Folders are essential, make them right for you
Excerpt: "If you're really serious about clearing your inbox you need to get serious about setting up a personalized email folder system. One common pitfall is that folder descriptions and naming becomes way too detailed. The knee-jerk reaction is to create extremely specific folders to make emails more accessible and easy to find. Often the result is 1000 emails in 950 folders which at the end of the day really does not make our email lives easier but actually more cluttered. Think about general themes or broad-brush topics when setting up email folders. Instead of creating an “Emails from Santa Clause related to the pony for my daughter” folder, try “Christmas Emails” or “Holidays Related” or even “Family Related”."
Photo by Leo Reynolds
Limit flags, urgents, follow up symbols and stars
Excerpt: "Raise your hand if you lead a busy life and have multiple urgent tasks and responsibilities pressing down on you from week to week. Welcome to the club. The point of this principle is that if everything is urgent, nothing is urgent."
Photo by Leo Reynolds
Running water, a healthy diet and exercise and “email check-ins” are essential
Excerpt: "It may seem counterintuitive, but if properly performed, checking email consistently and systematically can actually lessen screen time. The old adage of it’s easier to stay on top of things than play catch-up applies here."
Photo by SimonDeanMedia
Email search is your friend
Excerpt: "One of the most common arguments for keeping emails and not clearing the inbox is that emails will get lost and or once they get filed away they will be out of sight and out of mind. Yet, this is the case anyway with individuals with hundreds of emails in their inbox. What about folks who like to keep 20, 30, 40 emails in their inbox at a time? If this works for you and you are able to stay on top of communications, great. However, remember how wonderful you felt when you reached that milestone of keeping 50 or less emails in your inbox? We promise that same feeling of satisfaction will intensify when you're down to 5, 3, 1 or 0 emails in your inbox on a daily basis."
Photo by Quasimondo
Follow up on emails quickly and decisively
Excerpt: "This is an easy thing to do, correct? Not always, and it takes a bit of practice to implement this tip. Let’s pretend we open our email and there are 10 unopened messages. Before opening email #1, scan the 10 titles and delete the low hanging fruit. If the title clearly indicates it’s junk, delete it. If 4 out of the 10 are junk quickly delete the 4 right away leaving 6. Of the 6 let’s pretend 4 are definitely something you need to read and 2 are announcements/subscriptions. Open the two announcements/subscriptions and file away quickly if no follow up is required. This leaves you with 4 emails that you're pretty sure you need to focus on."
Photo by tedeytan
Read or do not read, there is no try
Excerpt: "If an email is worth reading, read it. If it’s not worth reading delete or file it. Many folks feel more crazed when they half-read double the amount of emails instead of seriously paying attention to a fewer amount. Carefully read worthwhile communications and decide courses of action as soon as you can."
Photo by pigpogm
Keep contacts organized and up to date
Excerpt: "Keeping contacts organized and up to date is crucial. Learn how your contact manager works and use it frequently. If someone changes their email or name, update this change immediately. If you keep a separate notepad or electronic device to organize contacts, keep this up-to-date as new information comes in via email. Though tempting, email communications are really not an effective way to keep track of people. How many times have you hunted and pecked through countless emails to find someone’s email, name or address? If you say often, sifting through 1500 emails in your inbox will probably not help the situation."
Photo by bindermichi
DESPITE how cool you are you Cannot break Email
Excerpt: "You may think you can break your own email and cause havoc by clicking here or there or changing settings but you cannot break a phantom account. Set up a fake email account, perhaps with the same email service you currently use or one you're looking to transition to, and play around with it! Try to break it! Click on settings and practice setting up folders and run searches. You may need to have friends or family email this practice account to get things started. Not happy with how it works? Delete it and create another account or move on to a different service."
Photo by Hamed Saber
Check out this Deck's Notes!
and empty your inbox too! It Can be done!
The inbox game. Every professional knows the struggle.
You wake up, roll over, grab your phone, and see your inbox has exploded. 30 new emails since you last checked. If you’re like most people that means your inbox total is now 1,230.
Or if you only have access to your email from your work computer, you might arrive at work and spend the first 2 hours every monday digging out from the mess.
Well, what if we told you there is a different way? A way that you can begin to control your work habits through reducing your inbox clutter?
In some ways it’s almost like reaching down and touching the line during a series of sprints--you know there’s more coming, but for that one second, the feeling of accomplishment is enough.
This Haiku Deck only scratches the surface of email tips and principles written by Jason Illari (PA) and Lindsey Baker (MD).
You wake up, roll over, grab your phone, and see your inbox has exploded. 30 new emails since you last checked. If you’re like most people that means your inbox total is now 1,230.
Or if you only have access to your email from your work computer, you might arrive at work and spend the first 2 hours every monday digging out from the mess.
Well, what if we told you there is a different way? A way that you can begin to control your work habits through reducing your inbox clutter?
In some ways it’s almost like reaching down and touching the line during a series of sprints--you know there’s more coming, but for that one second, the feeling of accomplishment is enough.
This Haiku Deck only scratches the surface of email tips and principles written by Jason Illari (PA) and Lindsey Baker (MD).
Photo by Jim Nix / Nomadic Pursuits
