It's so easy to get bogged down by all the little day-to-day details in this busy and technological world. You can receive your bills now by U.S. Postal Service and e-mail, you can shop online, you can drive through to get your coffee (instead of actually getting out of your car), and you can even supposedly exercise with the help of a video game. But even though these many "conveniences" have been created to make our lives easier, it seems the more supposedly efficient our world is made, the crazier the world out there becomes. At some point all the information that feels like it is coming at you faster than you can handle gets overwhelming and you throw your hands up in exasperation. Case in point: the never-ending e-mail inbox.
Signing up for all those e-mail newsletters and e-bills seemed like a great idea at the time. Keep abreast of all the important issues, hear about the happenings at your favorite wine bar, who got eliminated on Top Chef last night, how much you owe the people who actually own your car (and when it's due). It even seemed smart when you entered that win a Mercedes Benz sweepstakes at the fair last summer and thought you might only get a little bit of extra junk mail which would be worth it if you received it while you were out driving your new free car. Well, you learned nothing is really free huh?
That junk mail along with what seems like a million other bits of mail pour into your inbox every day and it never stops. Ever. How do you handle it?
One thing I like to do is set aside a little time each day to go through them. Get a cup of coffee or beverage of choice and just speed through those things until your done. I find that I have to respond to e-mails right after I read them or they lose their sense of urgency. Plus they are then marked "read" and if I attempt to go back to my email later and answer them, they can easily get overlooked.
So if you are not going to answer e-mail right away, make sure you mark anything that needs to be looked at again later and taken care f as "unread" that way you will trick yourself into thinking you haven't read it at all ad will still feel obliged to answer even that 2nd time you have opened that letter.
Organized folders are key. Now all of the above means nothing if you have nowhere to put anything. It is like trying to sort out and get rid of a junk drawer. We all have one and there is a reason- everything that has nowhere to go needs to go somewhere. But over time, things end up in there that don't really belong in there because you don't make the effort to put them where they belong. E-mail is the same. If you don't put every piece of e-mail where it belongs, your inbox turns into one big junk drawer. So make sure everything has somewhere to go (which does include the trash can) and when you get to stuff that doesn't, well put those things all together in something like a miscellaneous folder.
So take the time to get organized, and stay organized. A little time each day allows you to tame the e-mail inbox beast and keeps you connected and sane in this crazy little world.
Related Articles
How to Keep Your Training Schedule at the Gym
By: Chris McCombs | 25/06/2008 | Health
I have been working out for quite a few years now. Actually longer than I would like to admit and along the way, I have always had workout friends, partners, buddies that I would either train with on purpose or just happen to run into at the gym during my...
Managing your Inbox
By: Andrew Brenning | 05/09/2007 | Business
Learn how to manage your inbox, organize your e-mail, and become a more efficient communicator.
E-mail Writing - 'they'll Know What I Mean' Just Doesn't Cut it
By: Paul Docherty | 03/02/2007 | Email
Most businesses will admit that, while e-mail has some wonderful advantages, it isn't exactly without its pitfalls. We have a whole generation of workers coming through the ranks now who don't have the communication skills that many before us had. The art of conversation is undoubtedly dying...
Is Google's Gmail Secure?
By: Paul Bauer | 12/11/2007 | Email
If you browse to Google's email interface, you may noticed that it defaults to http://mail.google.com and not to httpS://mail.google.com. What does that mean? You may ask. It means your e-mail is not secured.
Looking For The Ideal Business Partnership?
By: Joseph Holland | 31/01/2007 | Email
Opt in lists are not just ordinary mailing lists. It is the very core of an online business existence and survival
4 Steps To Uncovering The Money Thats Lies Within The List
By: Joseph Holland | 31/01/2007 | Email
As they say, the money is in the list, that's why most businesses consider opt in list as valuable as gold
Psychic Readings by E-mail – are They Worth It?
By: Aryan S | 20/08/2007 | Religion
Psychic readings can be performed by e-mail, phone, webcam and even live in person. Live psychic readings or tarot readings by phone or in person can be a little costly if you are on a tight budget, but an e-mail psychic reading is a good alternative.
Are You Keeping Your Online Business Profitable?
By: Joseph Holland | 01/02/2007 | Email
With spamming, email marketing becomes a disgraceful activity in the Internet. But with opt in list, online businesses can continue to boost their businesses through email marketing without having to worry about being accused of spamming
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Business Articles
The "goal Setting" Trap
By: Weston Lyon | 08/09/2008
There have been thousands of books written about "setting goals". They're all similar in nature giving you the same steps to use. While these steps are the basics to "setting goals" most, if not all, of these books do not tell you about the pitfalls & traps associated with each step. In this article learn more about the pitfall and traps & how I can lay out a road map for you without the pitfalls and traps.
When Playing Big, Old Stuff Will Come Up
By: Fabienne Fredrickson | 08/09/2008
Previously I talked about Going BIG or Going HOME. That's all well & good, but what about all the emotions that arise when you take a great big leap of faith & step into your purpose AND your future, at the same time. Unexpected stuff comes up even stuff you thought you'd ALREADY dealt with. I'm going through this right now. Read on to learn how I'm getting over it & stepping into my future, despite the stuff that's coming up.
The Need for Employee Evaluations
By: Cash Miller | 07/09/2008
Sometimes in small business we overlook certain things we should be doing. Especially if they may turn out to be unpleasant. An employee evaluation or performance appraisal can often be considered one of those unpleasant tasks. But if you do not do them how can your employees improve?
Hottest Food Franchise Business Opportunities: Pizza
By: Candice Clem | 07/09/2008
Some estimates claim that Americans eat a whopping 100 acres of pizza a day. To give you an idea of what that means, imagine the entire landscape of Disneyland covered in tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. But it doesn't stop at the fences, because Disneyland is only 85 acres; this...
Top 5 Fun Home Based Businesses
By: Candice Clem | 07/09/2008
There are many things that set franchisees apart from the rest of the working world. One key advantage is that franchisees are some of the only businesspeople that have total control over what industry they work in and what they do within that industry. Many people don't have the luxury...
10 Retail Franchise Businesses You May Never Have Considered
By: Candice Clem | 07/09/2008
The word retail can bring to mind a handful of things for the average American: Wal-Mart, Target, Macy's, JC Penny, a favorite book shop, and maybe the handful of little mom-and-pops in the neighborhood. Entrepreneurs, however, are no ordinary Americans, and they know that there are plenty of other business...
How to Make a Vending Home Based Business Work For You
By: Candice Clem | 07/09/2008
Of all the home based businesses out there, none seem simpler to successfully run than a vending machine distributorship. Really, how hard can it be to purchase a vending machine, find a home for said machine, fill it with a variety of products, and stop by every now and then...
Top Online Businesses Like Platinum One Destinations Have Certain Common Features
By: Andy West | 07/09/2008
There are literally millions of online businesses on the Internet today, including highly successful ones such as the travel giant Platinum One Destinations. There are also hundreds of new businesses popping up each day while hundreds of others fold. What makes or breaks an online business? How can you tell...
More from Chris McCombs
Steps to Smarter Snacking
By: Chris McCombs | 26/08/2008 | Health
The candy dish at the receptionist desk, your co-worker's birthday cake in the break room, the vending machine in the hall, the cookies your colleague is selling for their child's school fundraiser...your office is filled with opportunities to snack on unhealthy treats all day. But, you can make the right...
Cardiovascular Training Insight
By: Chris McCombs | 20/08/2008 | Health
There's a trade-off mark, with regards to the optimal level of energy derived from fat, during aerobic activity (cardiovascular training).
At lower levels of intensity, your body does derive a higher percentage of its energy from fat over glycogen - however - as you're exercising at a lower intensity, your body...
Bodybuilding Myths and the Importance of Fiber
By: Chris McCombs | 20/08/2008 | Health
Here's some bodybuilding myths:
1) if I work out that gives me a free pass to eat whatever I want because I will just burn it off. People nutrition is like 80% of the equation here....there is a saying you are what you eat. Just because you worked out for 2...
Fitness Through the Winter Season
By: Chris McCombs | 08/08/2008 | Health
Thanksgiving has passed, but it's not over yet. As the weather gets cooler and other winter holidays approach, it's always a temptation to eat more and exercise less, potentially resulting in weight gain, a wider waist, and a slower metabolism. We may also feel stressed from personal and professional commitments.
If...
Boost Your Good Cholesterol
By: Chris McCombs | 07/08/2008 | Health
Cholesterol is a fatty substance which is found in the tissues of the body of all animals. It is found in the blood of man and animals also. Cholesterol scares every human being a lot because, a majority of the people have a feeling that cholesterol is bad. But believe...
Secrets to Getting Washboad Abs
By: Chris McCombs | 06/08/2008 | Health
Washboard abs is the dream of every men and women. This article will help you realize that seemingly impossible dream. Diet rich in cholesterol-there goes the dreamy washboard abs. For flat abs low fat diet is an absolute necessity. If you wish to have washboard abs keep your body fat...
Top Five Tips to Losing Weight
By: Chris McCombs | 25/07/2008 | Health
Losing weight and having that well shaped lean body is the dream of everyone. Once you decide to lose weight, daunting dieting and tiring exercises comes to mind. But losing weight does not have to be such an exhausting and difficult task. In fact, with a little discipline, persistence and...
Coffee - As a Health Drink?
By: Chris McCombs | 12/07/2008 | Food and Beverage
It is a pity that coffee does not get the credit and the attention it deserves. Coffee tends to get bad press and focus on negative effects of caffeine and we generally underestimate the importance of coffee in our life. Coffee is seen just as a drink, but it actually...
Business 
