The main idea for you to keep in mind is that you are consciously and very deliberately DECIDING to DEFER. So, now, here’s the question. What do you do with those emails that you’ve deferred? What most people do, unfortunately, is leave them in their inbox, which is a poor solution. These emails just pile [...]
Tags: action, email, inbox, overwhelm, Productivity
Let’s talk about the notion of DEFER as a sane and sensible email practice. What does ‘defer’ mean? First of all, defer does not mean procrastinate. To defer something is a deliberate decision that you make. As far as email is concerned, you could decide to defer an email for several reasons, such as: You [...]
Hemphill, Barbara. Taming the Paper Tiger at Home & Taming the Paper Tiger at Work. These two books are part of what got me started on getting organized and teaching others how to be organized. Barbara writes in clear, accessible language and her tips are practical and worthwhile. The two books are not redundant, so there [...]
In the same way that ants, termites, roaches, or any other bugs will come into your house (or office) uninvited, in essence email does the same thing. I think you will agree that it would be highly annoying and unacceptable for a person to be hanging around all the time, asking questions, reminding you of [...]
Tags: defend, defense, email, encroachment
Levinson, Steve & Pete C. Greider. Following Through: A Revolutionary Model for Finishing What You Start. OK. A lot of what they say is going to fly in the face of what some people think, but that is why it is worth reading. They make fun of the “follow through fairy tale,” and instead, deal [...]
Tags: finish, finished, finishing, Pete C. Greider, Steve Levinson
The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed – it is a process of elimination. (Elbert) So what do you need to ‘chip away’ that is currently introducing or exacerbating the complexity in your life (and thus, the overwhelm)? You might consider one or [...]
Tags: choices, complexity, just whelmed, overwhelm, simplicity
Here are some (reasonably) simple ideas that you can begin to consider to eliminate some of the complexity: Pick up the phone (vs. emailing endlessly) to try to find a time to set up an appointment. Simplify your wardrobe (e.g., choose one color or hue family). Make your hair easier to manage (vs. having ‘high [...]
If you want to diminish your ‘overwhelm,’ one option is to go simple rather than complex. The sheer number of choices you encounter every day can overwhelm anyone. This series of posts will give you some ideas related to making one more choice, but it is the choice to decide on a simpler life whenever possible. Believe [...]
Tags: complexity, just whelmed, overwhelm, simplify, underwhelm
Many folks are just not sane and sensible about their email – and it ends up controlling them instead of them controlling it! Here is one important sane and sensible suggestion: DETERMINE when you will check and respond to email. If you are like the average professional today – and you put this notion into practice, [...]
Question that was sent in: Since you’ve done so much work consulting, I’m wondering if you can provide me some quick advice. A small college has asked me to consult on an evaluation of their promotion and tenure policies. I can imagine how this would work substantively, but not financially. Have you ever done something [...]
Tags: college, consulting, pricing, promotion, tenure, university
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