Getting things done, and have your inbox empty in 2 steps. Simple inbox-zero technique for Outlook which forces you to perform!
Want to have your email inbox empty and your head empty from stress, tasks, commitments and other work shit and bullshit?
But its better to get things done, besides emptying inbox, Yes?
It seems that a lot of GTD techniques makes people to arrange emails or tasks effectively, but they forget about the main goal - to make things done, not just empty inboxes:)
Lets do your things and then empty your inbox in simple 2 actions now!
Here was good post from Tina and her blog before: Think Simple Now. Tina argues to use some labelling system for gmail inbox to de-clutter inbox to almost zero. And she suggest to make 4 categories for mail. Its very simple.
But we have made it more simple! Convert this system and adapt it for MS Outlook in a bit more simple 2 steps/2 folders way:
1)less than 2 minutes rule. all tasks.(important and unimportant)
If an action takes less than to 2 minutes to perform - You have to instantly do the task and then move email to archived folders or just delete.
2)more than 2 minutes rule. A. not important tasks.
If an action takes more than to 2 minutes and it is not urgent or important, move email into one of 2 sub-folders under your inbox folder:
- “follow-up”
After replying to an email, if you are waiting for a response, move this email here to remind you that you need to follow up if you don’t hear back from the person.
- “to-read”
For long emails that are not time sensitive, which might interrupt your work. Save long items to be read when you can plan the time for it.
2)more than 2 minutes rule. B. Important tasks.
If an action is urgent and inportant and takes whatever minutes, you must leave it in inbox untill you do it! This is main difference from other GTD systems. You leave email in inbox if it is important untill you done it, this is because only if task is done you can do deleting of archiving. That makes you be effective. And do the work.
This principle makes your tasks done without procrastination. and to have your inbox empty.
That’s it!
PS. Outlook upgrade:
To enable count of all items in a folder, not just unread items as by default, just right click on the folder in Outlook and choose Properties. Select “Show total number of items” and hit OK.
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[…] Hi Grl, Yes Allen was too complex to me too. I agree his rules are very effective and the system, but its too much time to adopt it, so I use more simple version consisting only from 3 subfolders in my email inbox for email management, look here […]