In yesterday’s post, I talked about using a Desktop Search tool to help you find your stuff. Today, let’s talk about what I do with e-mail that I am not quite sure what to do with.
If the e-mail is not something I need to file and reference later, not something I need to reply to, not something I need to action, not something I need to delegate, not something I need to defer until a later date; What should I do with it? Delete it!
I must admit, it wasn’t always that easy... What if I need to reference that e-mail two months from now? What if the sender questions me about it next quarter? What if I change my mind and decide to action the e-mail? All of those types of questions used to go through my mind. A setting in Outlook and a Desktop Search tool cured me of those worries.
Step 1
See yesterday’s post on using a desktop search tool. Get one. This is critical.
Step 2
Don’t really delete your e-mail (archive it). In Outlook, pull down the Tools menu, select Options, and then uncheck the box to Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting.
OK, technically you are not deleting your email, you are simply saving it to the Deleted Items Folder. The beauty for me is the psychological effect. You’ve removed something from your mind. You’ve removed something from your Inbox. You have not filed something you do not think you will need. You have not deferred something until later. It’s gone. Well, not REALLY gone, you can always find it in your Deleted items folder with your desktop search tool.
One caveat: Your deleted items are out of mind, but they are still taking up precious space in your online e-mail box. To alleviate this, once a week, move things in your Deleted Items folder to an offline archive folder.
I have 50,000 e-mails currently indexed and searchable with my desktop search tool. Of that, 40% of those e-mails sit in my Deleted Items offline folder. Out of sight, and for the most part, out of mind. This dumb little trick helps me keep a mind like water.
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