Inbox Zero: Approach to Email Management

Not sure if -tou_ need an assistantr, Abe, you’ve always been pretty good with answering emails I have sent you, but an emaol assistant is not a bad idea for any busy person who is trying to earn a living mainly in the on line world.

I posted several times recently in my Philippine blog about this very situstaion here in the Philippines. While it is certainly a problem world-wide, the problem of unanswered emails seems to be endemic here. Thousands and thousands of transactions never take oplace each month because people email to request something and the business which has the item and could use the business just never responds. Hotels and resorts are among the worst in this situation.

There are many ways to hire a virtual assistant on line, in some cases very economically … or it could be a worthwhile business for someone to think about starting … requires nothing more than a low-end computer and even a dial up connection … just the regularity of response and the capacity to recognize important emails and get them “on the screen” of the people who can make the deals happen.

Catching up on my email is something I do when I can’t think of anything to blog.

To add to the tips above:

1. Use the “rules” function in Outlook to automatically sort mail or to delete spam
2. Make a “later” folder. You’ll know where to find your pending stuff later.
3. Make it a habit to “attack” your inbox at least 3x a day. I do it mornings, before lunch aand then once in the afternoon.
4. Reading mail is NOT work. Turn off Outlook and concentrate on actual work, like spreadsheets, plans, forms and meetings.

Hope this helps on the productivity.

Cheers

GM Tristan
gmtristan.com