Email Labels vs Folders: An Explanation
If you file something, and can't ever find it again, you don't have a filing system, you have a pit. This applies not only to paper, but also emails and computer files. Since we're looking at email today, I wanted to give you the foundation knowledge of how email can be filed.
Inbox Zero: Myth or Fact?
Email can quickly get out of control. And when you have dozens (if not hundreds or thousands) of emails in your inbox, it will kill your productivity as you try to find and act on the emails. I used to keep everything in my inbox until the item was completed. This led to chaos, and I missed several deadlines, as well as misplaced important information as I was working on a project. Today, there are no emails in any of my inboxes, and all emails are promptly acted on. I haven't lost an email in a long time, either. My secret? I practice Inbox Zero.
How To Combat Internal Interruptions
Have you ever had a day when you just couldn't concentrate? You might want to get down to a task, and even start it, just to be pulled off by thoughts and reminders your own brain is throwing at you. I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I have had random thoughts intrude. I've been teaching a class and my mind will remind me that we need dishwasher soap. Or I'll be driving doing errands and my mind will remind me that I need to sew a button back on a sweater at home. It's distracting in the first place. Even worse is when I don't acknowledge the thought, and then it keeps popping back up.
4 Strategies to Get Past Planned Interruptions
We are used to thinking of interruptions as unexpected things. But interruptions can be planned, and these are just as disruptive as the other type. There have been days when I have been anticipating something that is on the schedule: a meeting, an errand, or even just quitting time. And every time that I start anticipating what is coming, I find that my productivity for the here-and-now is shattered. Why? Because I tell myself that I can't get anything done in the time left to me.
3 Types of Interruptions & How To Deal With Them
Interruptions are a fact of life. How we deal with them determines how well we get our things done. Today we will look at the three types of interruptions and how to deal with them.
7 Ways To Regain Your Focus
Focus is hard, particularly in a world where we are training ourselves to be distractable with the pings, pop-ups and interruptions. Today we will talk about 7 ways to regain your focus.
It’s Not Poor Time Management, It’s Poor Focus
Recently I have observed several people whose time management skills are exceptional. They plan their day, pick their most important tasks, fill in gaps...and never get things done. Why? It's not poor time management...it's poor focus management.
3 Strategies for Dealing With Interruptions
One of the challenges to staying focused is interruptions from others. Being pulled off task can result in anything from loss of train of thought to major interruptions that pull you off task for hours. Since we can't lock ourselves into a room to avoid distractions, we have to learn how to deal with them. Here are three strategies I use to deal with interruptions.
