3 Keys Thursday: 3 More Tips for Tackling that Inbox

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Yesterday, I wrote about my inbox frustrations and my plan for dealing with them. So, today, I thought I'd share three action steps on the same topic, culled from other sources. For more information on any of these, click on the name of the source.

From PC Magazine: Delete first. Before digging into your inbox, delete the junk. Unread.

From Julie Morgenstern: Completely avoid your inbox for the first hour of the day. Settle into your day and set your priorities --  don't let email derail you.

From Marcia Ramsland: Decide what to do with an email the first time you open it. Reply? Archive? Delete?

I've gotten really good at the first one. As for avoiding email first thing, I've settled on a compromise. I skim the emails for anything that seems important or personal, deleting everything else as I go. That way, I can get survey what's there, get a head start on the important stuff (which counts as derailing, I suppose) and see what, if anything, needs to be added to my schedule for the day.

Forbes.com

When it comes to #3, I'm hoping that fighting the urge to check my email on multiple devices (i.e. when I'm not prepared to deal with it right away) will help me, but I don't think the "touch it once" strategy will work for me as a rule of thumb. Rather than being a time saver, it ends up derailing me; I do much better with fast, frequent checks (where I can delete the unnecessary stuff) and a dedicated time later in the day to focus on all the emails that need action.

How about you? How do you see these action steps fitting into your email management strategy?