There is a great video about productivity which I have put on my Useful Links page called Productivity for your start-up. Don’t dismiss this if you are not a start-up as it has some really great tips and tricks for being more productive and it may make you think differently about what being productive looks like.
The concept I want to pull out of that video is this, the inbox 4 D’s. It is a concept to help you reach inbox nirvana rather than inbox hell.
Every time you open an email you need to do one of four things to it:
- Read and DELETE
- Read and DELEGATE
- Read and DO (small caveat here the doing shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes to acheive otherwise see point 4)
- Read and DEFER (add to your to do list)
The idea is to get to inbox zero by the end of each working day so you can leave with a clear head.
Make a game of it and challenge yourself to inbox zero for a week and see how many times you can achieve it. Then if it’s 3 or more times give yourself a treat.
It will revolutionise your productivity and therefore your feeling of achievement if you can get into this practice.
If need inspiration for a new way of working, my 2019 refresh series might provide what you’re looking for:
Lets start again
Re-evaluate for success
The power of sleep
The untold truth
Taking a break
Balancing life
Email – the 4 d’s
