Re: Information Overload

Make three folders: To Do, To Read, and To File

Choose a time once a day, preferably in the morning, to 'do' email. Every email in your inbox goes into one of the three folders or the trash. Using filters will help do this automagically.

To Do file emails get dealt with in priority order. To Read emails are good for those little chunks of time between other tasks, like waiting around for a meeting or an airplane. Any email in the To Read file for more than a few weeks gets trashed or filed.

To File emails get put into a proper filing system when I have a 'filing' day, which could be every week or every month depending on how slammed I am. At least I have one place to look, and if I'm lucky enough to have an assistant this is a great task to delegate (elance.com anyone?).

This system works for paperwork as well.

Another pitfall with email is that it will expand to fill all available time. When I'm getting tons of email, I limit my email time to when I 'do' email first thing in the morning, once after lunch, and once toward the end of the day. If I'm dealing with something time critical I'll *gasp* use the phone. Only checking email a few times a day I'm dealing with a bunch of emails at once and not the onesy-twoseys that arrive constantly. It's counter-intuitive to spend less time on email the more email you're getting, it worked really well for me.