b"6 Business SuccessTackle Your Email Inbox Like A Profication letting us know we have a newnever actually set up my phone to get By Amanda Zmolek message waiting? The trick here is toemail alerts from my work or personal W ith more and more work hap- change (or turn off) your notification set- emails. I have a button I can click to tings so they work best for you. You cancheck them if I wish, but I dont want pening remotely these days,also set specific times of the day forthe alerts distracting me in the middle of it is critical to manage elec- checking emails. the day. When possible, I prefer to tronic communication so it works forcheck my emails on my computer when you and not the other way around! I am ready and able to do so. If you Tell me if this sounds familiar want to try this, but youre concerned you arrive at your desk (maybe even aI have seen so manyabout missing something urgent, just do few minutes early to get a jump on themotivated people withwhat I did, and make sure the people day), and if I asked you around lunch- good intentions have theiryou work closely with know to text or time what you accomplished so farcall you if something major comes up. you'd say Nothing. I was too busy get- days taken over by theirIf that seems like it will never work, ting through my emails! inbox to the point whereemail problems may be masking an I have seen so many motivated peo- they feel like they cant getunderlying issue with delegating tasks.ple with good intentions have their daysanything done.taken over by their inbox to the pointBe Decisivewhere they feel like they cant get any- When I go through my inbox, I take thing done. At best, they may be thesteps to delete, file or follow up right type of person who loses a messageI am very strict about structuringaway. I delete the items I dont need, here or there. At worst, they risk gettingmy time and tasks because of my expe- file the ones I do and follow up on any a reputation as someone who is unorga- rience in school. When I was in college,items that need an update. Its currently nized and never responds. The purposeI took up to eight classes (yes EIGHT!)11am on a Tuesday, and my inbox has of this article is to share some of myper semester while working a part-time10 messages in it with one flagged for tips for sorting through the clutter sojob at a restaurant. One summer I hadme to follow up on this afternoon. The you can get on with the real work youan internship added in as well. I wouldfact that I only have a few emails in my want to do each day. have gone crazy and gotten nothinginbox is not because I dont get any mes-done if I didnt make very strict rulessages, its because I am very decisive Set Boundaries forabout my time. I didnt worry aboutwith the ones I get. My goal is always Checking Emails school when I was at work, and I didntInbox Zero.Smart phone alerts and desktop noti- think about work when I was at school.Be selective about folders and flags, fications can be useful toolsthat isAnd I didnt think about anything dur- too. If there is a folder or flag for every until they start ruling your schedule!ing my commute except what song wasmessage, they tend to lose any meaning How many times have we all been dis- on the radio. they may have originally had. I am tracted from the task at hand by a noti- This may surprise you, but I havereally not a fan of organization systems"