{"id":1207,"date":"2018-08-29T17:55:09","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T17:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/impactpossible.com\/voice\/?p=1207"},"modified":"2018-09-04T19:28:22","modified_gmt":"2018-09-04T19:28:22","slug":"5-steps-to-taming-your-inbox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/impactpossible.com\/voice\/index.php\/2018\/08\/29\/5-steps-to-taming-your-inbox\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to Taming Your Inbox"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest Blog Post by Ryan Porter of JMARK Business Solutions, Inc. (originally\u00a0posted at JMARK.com<\/a>)<\/b><\/p>\n

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Back in 2012, I had allowed my inbox to become a scary unmanageable mess with over 60k messages in my inbox alone, not including my overly complicated archival folder structure. My Outlook inbox had become a significant distraction to me (You know, a massive list of guilt-inducing anxiety-laden reminders of things unfinished and forgotten), that I set out to find or create a methodology to get it and keep it under control. It was during this quest that I discovered David Allen\u2019s Getting Things Done<\/a>\u00ae, aka \u201cGTD.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was GTD\u2019s promise of \u201cStress-Free Productivity\u201d that caught my attention, but it was the \u201cMind Like Water\u201d metaphor that has become a signpost of success for me in my struggle to be a better me. Having a \u201cMind Like Water\u201d is \u201cA mental and emotional state in which your head is clear, able to create and respond freely, unencumbered with distractions and split focus.\u201d\u00a0(Allen, 2012)<\/p>\n

GTD is much more than a system for managing one\u2019s email inbox. However, it is not my intent to sell you on GTD, and the good news is you can begin to see immediate results using the workflow and process outlined herein without being a student or practitioner of GTD.<\/p>\n

The process described below allows me to keep my inbox at or near empty each day. Sometimes when things are hectic, it may grow on me, and I may not keep it at zero every day, but I\u2019m usually able to get it back to zero within the week.<\/p>\n

Figure 1<\/em> is a screenshot of my real-life Outlook inbox at the moment I began writing this blog article.<\/p>\n

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Before we dive into the details, let\u2019s look at the basic workflow I use. Figure 2<\/em> shows the basic GTD workflow for how to deal with all the stuff that comes at us all day every day and is the workflow I use to manage my Outlook inbox.<\/p>\n

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Figure 2 \u2013 Processing Your Inbox Workflow Overview<\/p>\n

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Tame Your Inbox: The Process<\/h1>\n

STEP 1: Come to Terms with Reality, and Schedule Your Initial Inbox Clean up<\/h2>\n

Your inbox isn\u2019t going to process itself magically. Just like all the other things vying for our attention to be acted upon, a lot of us have this fantasy that \u201cI\u2019ll have time to clean this up once <Fill-in-the-blank<\/em>> is completed.\u201d The hard truth is you will never find that time where your schedule will miraculously open up, and you find yourself with an empty inbox. This mythical free time does not and will not exist until you make it happen. In other words, using the same habits and thought processes (i.e., excuses) that got you into your current inbox mayhem will not get you out of the situation.<\/p>\n

The good news is that once you invest the initial time to get your inbox under control, you will find it far easier to keep up with your inbox as email arrives each day instead of putting them off for the future. Moreover, you may find your way to experiencing a Mind Like Water.<\/p>\n

Once you have come to terms with your inbox reality, schedule an appropriate amount of time to get your inbox to zero using the process below.<\/p>\n

STEP 2: Turn off the distractions of your inbox.<\/h2>\n

From this day forward, you rule your inbox; it does not rule you. Correct? So, turn off all new-email alerts and schedule an appropriate number of inbox check-ins throughout your day. I usually start my day off in my inbox and then recheck it later in the morning and a couple of times in the afternoon. You may want to make these check-ins a scheduled item in your calendar, or just something you do when you finish a period of focused work. Either way, don\u2019t let an email alert distract you from your vital focused work.<\/p>\n

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Disable New-Email Alerts in Outlook<\/h3>\n
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  1. In Outlook click on File<\/strong>\u00a0-> Options<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Select Mail<\/strong> on the left-hand side of the Outlook Options<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Locate the Message arrival<\/strong> section and clear the check from all checked boxes.<\/li>\n
  4. Click OK<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    STEP 3: Create a Simplified Filing System for Your Email<\/h2>\n

    With the advances in search capabilities within Microsoft Outlook, the need for complex hierarchical email filing structures is outdated and unnecessary.<\/p>\n

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    Figure 4 – Simplified Filing System<\/p><\/div>\n

    When I simplified my folder structure for emails, I used the GTD lists concept and created the following simplified folder structure:\u00a0