Signal vs. Noise: Your Inbox
There’s a metaphor for many things in life that’s derived from a nerdy concept in electrical engineering: your signal-to-noise ratio. Today, I’m going to apply the idea of increasing your ’signal’, or message and decreasing the ‘noise’, or everything else, to some office productivity ideas.
When you start looking at your Inbox in Outlook, I think most people can agree that there is a lot of ‘noise’ in there – low-grade content that gets in the way of you doing your job effectively. In an earlier post, I put up a video about Inbox Zero. The basic premise of Inbox Zero is to clear the way in your Inbox so that important information and requests don’t get lost. Everyone, for the sake of their sanity, should be looking for their strategy to cut through that noise and get to the important signal. One idea that’s been thrown around is the ‘Do-Delegate-Defer-Delete’ strategy.
Basically, every email that comes in can have something done to it. Action #1 – DO it. Simply read the email, execute whatever action the email requests, and then delete it from your Inbox (or at least find somewhere else for it to be archived). It’s not always possible, but when it is, it’s very effective.
Action #2 – it’s not your job. Forwarding your emails to someone else is such a freeing experience! Send the necessary information to the person who will execute the action, then stow the email for a week for a checkup.
Action #3 – Defer this is what most of us do, but not in an organized way. You’ll need to come up with a strategy for setting time aside. It’s up to you, but try this one out and see if it works: Click the ‘Folders’ button in the bottom-left corner of your Outlook. Then, when you can see Tasks in the panel on your left, drag the email in question to your Tasks. This will immediately create a new task for you, which you can schedule (and put a reminder on). It’s much more efficient than just hoping you’ll remember to get back to it!
Action #4 – It’s not everyday that you get to delete the stuff in your Inbox, but when it happens, take advantage.
Are you a packrat like I am? Try out this tip from home organization that’s been revamped for the digital world: at home, you can put all the things you’re debating throwing out into a box. Tape up the box and put it in your garage. If after 6 months you’ve survived without any of it, you can throw the whole box in the garbage. In your Inbox, create a folder called ‘The Box’. Throw your old emails (the ones you can’t stand to throw out) into The Box. Then, after six months, delete The Box and start all over again.
Do you find that your Inbox is ruling your life? Try out our Manage Your Everyday With Outlook course. I think a few housekeeping strategies, reworked for the office, can really do a lot of good for people.
