The Simple Rules
- “One Master” : Use one one master agenda, todo-list, etc. Using multiple will only make you lose sight of certain things.
- “Within an arm reach” : This is close with the previous one, as you need to have that “One Master” close to you. If you don’t have your agenda with you, make sure you sync it to your master!
- Clean Inbox : Keep your inbox clean! Set a rule where CC messages are moved to a seperate folder & apply the “Inbox Zero”-concept.
- Think Modular : Thinking in an abstract way is sometimes hard for people. Yet group your tasklist into packages (milestones?) and make sure you only see the package you’re working on. This will have a wonderful psychologic effect as the mountain you have to climb may seem less high.
- Time is the only constant : “I have not time” is possibly the most used excuse and I find it utter bogus! Time is the only constant in your daily world. It’s how you handle time and set the priorities. If you’re telling people you don’t have time; you’re telling them that you can’t manage it or that their request isn’t important to you!
Inbox Zero Concept
- Delete: just get rid of it (or archive it)
- Delegate: get someone else to deal with it
- Respond: if it takes just a few minutes, do it right now
- Defer: put it on a todo list, archive it, and deal with it later
- Do: handle whatever the email actually needs you to do
Karim Vaes 