Fix the inbox part 2:Storage

Managing Your E-mail Inbox: Stop Using It for Storage

When you get an e-mail that you don’t immediately know what to do with, it’s easy to close it, and move on to the next one. But that “I’ll deal with this later” attitude is probably the reason you have e-mail overload. “Don’t keep thousands of messages in your inbox,” Duncan says. “Your inbox is not storage, it’s not your calendar, it’s not your to-do list, and it’s not your mind tickler. Clean out all that mess and ask yourself, How should I organize my inbox in a useful way?”

Duncan suggests setting aside a time during the day when you only handle e-mail. “Get into a meeting with your inbox and deal with each message as you open it,” says Duncan. Establish a routine that works for you as well as your staff. And once you have a system, stick to it.

Excerpt: Inc.