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The third Golden Rule - your weekly check
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The first week of Speedmailing has gone! Are you getting more confident with the shortcuts? Do speedy sorting and diminished distractions let you spend more time on your real work? We certainly hope so.
No matter how good you are at shortcuts and sorting, you want to stay on top of your workload. This is where the third Golden Rule of email management comes in:
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Today it's time for your weekly check.
This is a safeguard against letting things slip through your own fingers or through other people’s hands.
Schedule a fixed hour of the week in your calendar to dedicate to this. Friday morning works best for most people. Try to do this at a time and place where you are not frequently disturbed.
Go through all your action folders, calendar and notes.
- Calendar, past week: any follow-up required that wasn't captured anywhere?
- Calendar, coming week: review upcoming appointments. Does any of them require extra attention prior to the meeting? If so, schedule time for that. If you are waiting on someone else, remind them about it.
- Paper Notes: Check any paper notebooks, yellow notes or lists for hidden action items.Address those that can be completed within two minutes, or send an email reminder to yourself to sort into the appropriate action folder. You might want to check your voicemail as well.
- 2-Do This Week: Check your Do This Week folder for any pending items that really need to be resolved. Decide to either reprioritise, delegate or no longer postpone. Mark any issues that need to be completed this week with a red flag.
- 3-Holding for Later: Check Holding For Later to see if you need to get started on any of the items within the next week. If so, move them to Do This Week. Remove items that no longer require action.
- 4-Waiting for Others: If an item has not been resolved, leave the email in the Waiting For Others folder and remind the person you’re waiting on.
Use the rest of the day to complete the items on your to do list that have a red flag. Be sure to clear all flags before you go home.
Use these weekly-check techniques to let you empty your inbox on a daily basis in the confidence that nothing will slip through your fingers.
Useful tip? If you know someone who can benefit from this tip (co-worker, friend, spouse or former colleague), feel free to share it with them by forwarding [Ctrl-F] this e-mail.
Have a great weekend!
Email Handyman
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