Organizing Incoming Information
Between email, mail, faxes internal memos and telephone calls the amount of information presented to you each day can be a burden.
Seven ideas to increase your success with managing your incoming information include:
1. Categorize each piece of information as follows:
A – Needs to be done today
B – Has a specific deadline other than today
C – Has no deadline
D – Items you can delegate
E – Items you can eliminate.
2. If an A will take you less than 5 minutes to complete, do it at the time of sorting.
3. Arrange your B’s on your desk based on the date you need to start the task.
4. Move your C’s to a file drawer or hidden shelf… far from your immediate work area. Pile them high and toss the bottom section when the stack gets too high.
5. Decide whether to delegate a D immediately or schedule a time to delegate a task.
6. Remove unwanted E information from reaching you by making a quick call or sending a quick email.
7. Apply the above practices to email, mail, faxes internal memos and telephone calls.
