Talane’s Blog of the Week, February 26, 2007

A Classic Tip from Talane...
How To Get Rid Of Email Clutter, Part III

Here are more tips for getting rid of email clutter. If you haven't started your email spring cleaning, now is the time. Don't carry it with you into March. Start zapping the clutter today.

The 80/20 Rule. It helps to delete the old emails if you remember the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of our results come from 20 percent of our efforts. This means that those old emails are part of the 80% of stuff we think we need to do that isn't really that important or critical. This also means that it is pretty safe to delete them without thinking too much about it.
Create a "Things to Do" Folder. If in the process of cleaning out your old emails you bump into a few things that really are important and need to get done, get them out (it may make sense to print them out physically) and put them in a things to do file folder and mark an appointment on your calendar to handle them. You don't want them to get lost again.

Benefits of a Clean Inbox:

It is much easier to maintain a clean inbox if you start out with one.
Easier to wield the delete button with confidence.
Immediate sense of relief and freedom.
More psychological space to think of more interesting things.

Enjoy the process!
Talane

(If you have found creative and effective ways to handle your email clutter, please let me know at talane@lifecoach.com. I'd love to hear them!)