What To Do When There's Too Much To Do (10 page)

I'm a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist in Outlook (MCAS), and I've been providing Outlook training to corporate clients (including Microsoft!) since the 1990s.
²⁰
I believe there's no better tool than Outlook for managing and integrating your e-mail, tasks, notes, contacts, journal, and calendar. But many people simply don't know how to get the most out of Outlook, because it's not the most user-friendly piece of software. I'd estimate most people use about 15–25 percent of its capabilities. Most training consists of “here's your inbox; have fun.” So in this section, I'll explain the processes of using Microsoft Outlook, since around 95 percent of my corporate clients use this software. A few others use Lotus Notes, GroupWise, Google Mail, Outlook for Mac, or Mac Mail. The principles are exactly the same, but you'll need to figure out the commands for your particular platform.

Let's walk through e-mail processing using my 6-D System:

1. Delete the e-mail. It's the simplest and most effective way to reduce your e-mail volume. This doesn't require extensive explanation; I hope use your delete key often—about 80 percent of the time!

2. Forward it to someone else and either delete or file the original e-mail so it's no longer in your Inbox. Or send a Task Request (right-click, select Move to Folder, select Tasks, click the Assign Task button, type in the person's name, type instructions, and Send.) The e-mail is gone from your Inbox but can be seen in Tasks when you View by Person Responsible. Now you'll easily see who owes you what.

3. If you can't delete or forward an e-mail, and it's a simple e-mail requiring a quick answer, follow the Three-Minute Rule. Just hit Reply, type, send, delete/file, and move to the next. Get it out of that inbox! Stop clicking around and reading e-mail without replying to it.

4. The fourth step, Date, is the big black hole of e-mail management. If an e-mail requires a reply but you can't do it now, what should you do with it? Do not leave it in your inbox! You also don't want to simply file it (unless you made a task or a note), because you might forget about it. How do you ensure you'll see that e-mail again on a specific day, such that you have time to handle it before it's due? That's the big question. You need the electronic equivalent of the paper tickler file, so you're seeing only the e-mails you need to see, on the day you need to see them. More information for dating e-mails is given below.

5. File the e-mail in a personal folder. Alternatively, some people like to do a File, Save As, and save the e-mail as an .msg file (Outlook message format) on a hard or shared drive (in the same way you would a Word document or PowerPoint deck).

6. Unsubscribe, create a Rule, or add the sender to the blocked senders list. If you change your mind, you can always select “Not Junk” to trust e-mail from that source, and it will move it back into your Inbox.

So let's discuss some different options for Step 4, dating an e-mail. You have several choices.

Convert the e-mail to a Task.
²¹
In Outlook, you can right-click on a message and choose the option to “Move to Folder.” Or, if you opened the e-mail, look for the “Move to Folder” button. Or, if you're an icon person, it's the one that looks like a piece of paper with an arrow into a folder. Personally, I like to right-click, as this presents me with a context-sensitive menu. Outlook presents you with a dialog box, asking which folder you'd like to move the item into. If it's something you need to
do
, select Tasks. If it's connected to a specific
time
, for example a lunch date, then select Calendar. Don't put things you
need to do in your calendar, because if you don't get it done, you have to manually change the date to another day. Tasks, however, roll forward automatically. A new Task or Appointment will be automatically created, and your e-mail with attachments will be included in the text portion. In the Task, fill in the Start Date, which is the date you want to
see
the item again. The Due Date is when you must
complete
the item. Set a Start Date, because if something is due on the 30th, it won't help you to see it on the 30th if it will take several days to complete it. You need to see it when you have to
begin
the task. Unfortunately, Outlook is set to have the To-Do bar display the “Today” flag by Due Date, so you have to change it to arrange by “Start Date.” It doesn't matter when it's due; it matters only that you see it again in enough time to complete it before it's due!

Note: It's important to use the “Move to Folder” command (and select Tasks or Calendar) rather than just dragging and dropping an e-mail. If you just drag an e-mail to Tasks, it will create a
copy
of the e-mail from your Inbox, and the attachments don't go with it. Later, you'd have to waste time locating it so you can respond to the original e-mail. Using the “Move to Folder, Tasks” feature, you can open the e-mail from inside the Task itself and reply. You have to get out of the mindset that an e-mail has to be in the inbox in order to reply to it.

Print the e-mail and file in your tickler file.
Some people are still paper people and like to print e-mails. If you must print yours, file it in your paper tickler file, and move the e-mail to a personal folder called “@Tickler,” so you know where to locate it when it comes up in your tickler file. That way, your Inbox contains unprocessed work, and your @Tickler contains only processed work, triggered by date in your Tickler.

Create reminders from Sent Items.
Perhaps you want to receive a reminder on an e-mail you sent, to confirm that your
request was completed, or that you received the answer you needed, etc. Click on your Sent Items and find the message you just sent. Drag that e-mail to Tasks (thus creating a copy, so it doesn't move out of your Sent Items). Click the Reminder box and set a date you expect to hear back. (Don't set a Start Date or Due Date, so it doesn't show up in your To-Do bar.) When you get the Reminder pop-up box, you can open each one and review. If you received a reply, mark it complete or delete it. If you haven't heard back, you can forward or re-send your original e-mail to follow up.

Flag an e-mail
. I don't prefer this method, because if you flag an item in your inbox, you are
not
creating a Task; you're creating a To-Do. Yes, it shows up in your To-Do list, but the original stays in your inbox (unlike the “Right-click, Move to Folder, Tasks” option I discussed earlier). An exception is Outlook version 2010, where you can now right-click on the flag, choose add a Reminder (this is the same reminder box that pops up right before a meeting), select the date you need to see it again, and then move it to any personal folder. In 2010, the reminder will now go off regardless of what folder it's located in. I simply prefer to convert mine to Tasks. It's not right or wrong; it's just personal preference.

Use the Search Folders to find items for follow up.
Let's say you set a flag to notify you just in case you don't hear back from a certain person by October 6 at noon. Once you have a reminder set, you can move the e-mail into a personal folder. If you're not in Outlook 2010, you can click on the “+” next to your Search Folders (at the bottom of the Navigation pane), and choose “For Follow Up.” Voilà—there are all the e-mails you've flagged or set a reminder on. With this method, you don't have to sort your flag column to search for e-mails.

In summary, a single e-mail could actually require you to:

1.
Read the e-mail.

2.
Make a decision
(refer to the 6 Ds above).

3.
Complete the appropriate action:

A.
Can you handle it immediately
? Options:

1. Delete.

2. Forward.

3. Send as a Task Request.

4. Reply with an answer and delete or file.

5. Reply to acknowledge receipt and give a promised deadline.

B.
Do you need to work it later
(or decide later)?

6. In Outlook, select “Move to Folder,” Task (for to-do items); fill in Start and Due Dates for HIT list. Or set a Reminder and use the Reminder dialog box as a mini to-do list.

7. In Outlook, select “Move to Folder,” Calendar (for appointments), fill in day/time.

C.
Does it require no action, but you need to save it
? Options:

8. Be the last one to reply and delete. Use your Sent Items for filing.

9. Save the e-mail in your personal folders.

10. File, Save as .msg file on hard drive or shared drive.

D.
Can you keep it from coming again
? Options:

11. Unsubscribe.

12. Add Sender to Junk list.

13. Create a Rule to move to Deleted Items.

4.
Schedule any follow-up.
Set follow-up reminders for pending action or promised deliverables. Drag the Sent Item to Tasks and set a Reminder.

5.
On the designated Start Date, complete the required task.

• What is the end result?

• Who needs to be involved?

• Who should own it?

• What steps are required?

• Respond with the requested information.

6.
Store the supporting information.

When handling information, remember these 6 Ds: Discard, Delegate, Do, Date, Drawer, or Deter. Every time you touch a new piece of paper, open a new e-mail, or get a new voicemail, force yourself to choose one of the 6 Ds.

If you have hundreds or thousands of e-mails in your inbox, create a new folder called “old inbox.” Drag all your e-mails into it. Practice keeping your inbox empty with all new e-mails coming in. Thirty minutes each day, 6-D your old e-mail, until your “old inbox” folder and inbox are both finally empty.

Yes, implementing the 6-D formula will require an additional level of time investment initially. However, once you've formed a new habit and have cleaned up your inbox, you'll save a nice little chunk of time each day that can go toward your ninety-minute total.

Spotting incompetence is simple. Look for people who know full well what they need to change to become more productive but refuse to do so. You know the one. “Yeah, I know I need to organize my files, but that's just how I am. Always been this way. You should see my clothes closet at home.”

Gee, now there's something to broadcast!

When employees telegraph their areas of inefficiency, almost as if to brag about their bad habits, you know you're dealing with someone who will most likely never “get” the productivity message.

We all have flaws and areas in need of improvement—a normal
and healthy condition. Moreover, sometimes these weaknesses remain in our blind spots for a time. But the moment your awareness has been raised—either by introspection or by another person—you have an obligation to begin remedying the productivity flaw, not celebrating it. Those who celebrate inefficiency, in information processing or anything else, single themselves out as incompetent.

Modern office workers face an astonishing flood of information, flowing in from more sources than we've ever before experienced. If you can't learn how to filter out the worthless and efficiently organize the remainder, your productivity will inevitably suffer.

First, establish a basic filing system to track your paper documents, including the following types of files at the very least: Active/Dynamic, Project/Client, Reference, and Archive/History. Next, set up a personal time management system, if you haven't already. It doesn't matter whether you choose a paper-based, electronic, or hybrid method, as long as it meets the HUG criteria: it must be Handy, Usable, and Garbage-free. Having these systems in place will help you tame the information glut.

Next, find ways to reduce the involuntary data inflow, especially via e-mail. If possible, have someone else sort through it for you. Otherwise, stop receiving information you don't need, and set up spam filters, blacklists, whitelists, and rules to automatically delete e-mail.

When voluntarily taking in information, winnow it down using the appropriate research techniques, especially when searching the Internet. In addition, leverage any available library services to cut down your research time and maximize your results.

Carry reading material with you constantly, so you can make effective use of unscheduled downtime, and investigate speed-reading techniques that let you get the most out of the reading time you do have.

Basic information handling skills are also critical:

• Don't touch things multiple times.

• Be decisive and apply the basic precepts of my 6-D Information Handling System—Discard, Delegate, Do, Date, Drawer, or Deter.

• Start what you finish.

• Do things right away if they require less than three minutes.

• Don't use your inboxes as a to-do list.

• Empty your inboxes at least once daily.

Apply these rules to all incoming information, particularly paper, e-mail, and voicemail.

The fifth step in the Productivity Workflow Formula involves consolidating everything you've established in the previous steps, ensuring that the various components work together smoothly, feeding back the results, and making the entire process flow more efficiently. You've been building a foundation for a more efficient lifestyle by reducing your to-do list, calendar commitments, distractions, and incoming information.

Closing the loop means you're constantly paying attention to and communicating about hitting goals, meeting deadlines, fulfilling promises, and committing to teamwork. Status changes can occur by the minute, so as you get new information, constantly weed out the unnecessary.