One of my favorite sites/blogs, Lifehacker.com, is releasing the second edition of their book, Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker guide to working smarter, faster, better.
To encourage people to pick it up, they are offering three excerpts for download as PDFs. You can check out a sample chapter, the table of contents, and the book index to see what you’re getting yourself into.
» Read Excerpt: Chapter 1 – Control Your Email
» Read Excerpt: Table of Contents
I read a bit of that first chapter, and it gives you some great advice for managing your email. It got me so motivated that I’m going to spend a good part of the day today reorganizing all of my email accounts.
Here’s an example of what you will find:
Process Your Messages
Now that the three folders are in place, it’s time to empty your inbox. Whether you’re starting with an overstuffed inbox with months’ worth of messages or the two dozen that arrived since you last checked, the method is the same. Beginning with the oldest email in your inbox, open the message and do the following:
• Delete it if you don’t need it.
• Respond on the spot to quick questions or requests. Then archive or delete it.
• If it requires action that will take more than one minute to complete, move it to the Follow Up folder and add the task to your to-do list.
• If it’s an item you’re waiting on or may need within the next few days, move it to Hold. If it’s time-sensitive (your co-worker promised you the document by Friday, for instance), add a note on your calendar to check in about the item you’re waiting for.
• If it’s an informational message you may want to refer to later, move it to the Archive.
Wash, rinse, and repeat for every message in your inbox until it is completely empty.
Filed under: Books, Email, Lifehacker, Upgrades
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