Time Management Tip - Sorting the Mail

Not all mail is important, yet by reading unimportant mail, we waste precious time. Emails can be sorted. Create four email folders:

1. Compulsory, e.g., notes from the boss
2. Important, e.g., requests for action or meetings that make a difference
3. Medium, e.g., items that are interesting
4. Irrelevant, e.g., no significant work value

For a week, put every email into one of the folders. At the end of the week, examine which senders fall consistently in the Irrelevant folder. Auto-filter them out of your inbox. Then always sort inbox emails by sender, thus, you can easily move notes from consistent Medium senders into that folder. Read category 1 and 2 emails first in your day. Later in the day, scan the Medium folder to see what topics are covered and decide which notes to read.