7
Administrative Assistant's
UPDATE
The only 5 folders your inbox will need
By Staff
Distil your daily email intake into just five folders?
That's what marketing and sales expert Zach Han-
lon has been able to do, thanks to a tip from a close
friend who works for a major consulting firm.
"I saved everything," says Hanlon, writing in Fast
Company. "I thought most messages addressed di-
rectly to me needed my response. I was wrong."
His biggest mistake, he says, was creating folders
based on topics. "Emails, like meetings, rarely stay on
track."
His other major mistake was "trying to use an inbox
as a to-do list." Inevitably, some emails got lost be
-
cause they kept being pushed further and further down.
Here are his five folders, with descriptions taken
directly from his Fast Company article:
Inbox: the inbox is a holding pen. Emails
shouldn't stay here any longer than it takes for
you to file them into another folder. The exception
to this rule is when you respond immediately and
are waiting for an immediate response.
Today: Everything that requires a response today.
This Week: Everything that requires a response
before the end of the week.
This Month/Quarter: – Everything that needs a
longer-term response. Depending on your role,
you many need a monthly folder. Others can
operate on a quarterly basis.
FYI: Most items I receive are informational. If I
think I may need to reference an email again, I'll
save it to this folder.
In order to make this system work, it must be ad
-
hered to "mercilessly," says Hanlon. Some tips:
-- Keep an actual to-do list, mainly compiling items
that did not require a response but may need
future attention or action such as scheduling a
meeting.
-- If you don't really need to respond (don't exagger
-
ate your own importance), put it in FYI folder or
delete it.
-- Others may want a response but may not need nor
deserve one. If you put them in the Today folder,
you must respond today: no exceptions.
Listen to Office – Continued from page 6
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Are you listening? :0)
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Arnold Villeneuve has over
25 years in the computer
technology and services industry
working with standalone and
networked microcomputers,
minicomputers, and mainframe
systems. He has been an
author and instructor with
Learning Tree International since 1993, where he has developed
seven courses for instructor-led, computer-based training, and
e-learning initiatives.
Learning Tree offers practical, real-world training in today's most
in-demand skills, including Microsoft Office, SharePoint, project
management, leadership and professional development.
Visit
www.LearningTree.ca for more information.
Let Outlook read your messages to you.
Let Word read your document to you.
