Simply Organized Online

... Where does the time go?

It's almost as if sitting in front of the computer to "quickly check my email" is code word for "Hit the time warp button & zap me with a brain-dead laser".

As the organizer, I even fall victim to this activity with unawareness.

Advising my clients to try certain strategies is one thing, but when I find that I too am struggling, I look for creative innovative solutions to bring into the arsenal of "try this & see if it works for you" tool bag.

Standard strategies are:

• use a kitchen timer {set it for 10-15 min & when it goes off it means you're done, get up & leave the vicinity}
• allocate a certain time of the day to check the email {morning, afternoon, evening?}
  
• adjust your junk mail filters to a higher sensitivity
• don't sign up for too many eNewsletters

However, I've found those to be more precautionary measures. In addition to the above you can also implement:

• Folders, with categories that are appropriate to big picture topics {allowing you to "file" things for a later date}
  
• Focus, check email with a mission "I'm looking for any emails from ..." & then only open those {don't let the other stuff distract you}
• Establish a "read later" folder & then {here's the key} a dedicated time to address those
• And finally, establish a "fun email" time {after kids are in bed, during 1 load of laundry on Saturday, early in the morning ~ before anyone wakes up}
  

The idea is to establish a more efficient use of your In-box time. If you know you need the info for the field trip from the teacher's email or the meeting time & place your secretary sent you, then enter the danger zone of your in-box armed with the defenses of the most critical goals on your mind the entire time.

You're in, you're out & nobody gets hurt!

Now a new strategy I'm giving a try, due to my own recent ability to be so easily distracted {it is so much more fun to surf the Container Store(R) sales page than it is to pay my bills!} :

• I'm setting a day that will be a "no email day".

For me this works out to be Sunday. So often I'll jump on the computer while I'm waiting for the laundry to finish up or I'm ready for a break from some other chore & inevitably the Gmail page is still up from the last time I was called away from the computer. So I am instantly faced with the 'new' messages & drawn in by the titles or subject lines. Then before I know it, the laundry buzzer has gone off 3 hours ago & nothing else has gotten done! {because of course, I ignored the washer/dryer & kept having fun!}

My newest distraction ... Facebook.

And of course, I have it set to email me when I get a new message. So, you can see where this is going, I'm immediately drawn in by the notices I receive that someone has "socialized" with me! {more on that aspect later}

I'm curious how my readers are handling their email woes ~ please be sure to leave comments & let's get this conversation going.

• Have these tips helped?
• Have you tried it all & found something that "stuck"?
• Or, have you just completely given up on the whole thing & ignore it completely? :o)

Looking forward to hearing from you, I'll do a follow up post once I have some feedback.

Have a Simply Organized week,

april