The 6 D's to having your inbox make you money

Imagine this; you are deep in thought, tackling an important project, you are in the zone - then…’ding’…the echoing sound of your email inbox, that’s right, you’ve got mail.  Your thought process screeches to a hault, your mind shifts, you think ‘nah, I’ll check it later’, but what if it’s important?  What if it is crucial information?  Or, what if it’s an amazing discount offer from your favorite online retailer…?  Doesn’t matter, you’ve now lost focus on the task at hand and reach for the mouse.  How many times does this occur throughout your day?  I bet it happens often enough, that if you added up all of the diversion of time wasted you could calculate that into money lost.

Test: Take an egg timer and set it for 1 hour.  If you can go a whole hour without checking your email, you’re fine.  If you start having a nervous breakdown and can’t go just 1 hour without checking that precious inbox, you’ve got problems.

I recently listened to a great interview John Assaraf

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did with ‘The Productivity Pro’, Laura Stack, in which she states you should check your email no more than 4 times a day.  “Checking your inbox any more than that is just a fancy way to procrastinate”, says Stack.  She continues to add that most people use their email as a ‘to do’ list causing them to alter their focus and thought patterns which results in a high level of inefficiency in the workplace.

Follow Laura Stack’s 6 D’s just 4 times a day so you can maintain focus, maximize productivity, and increase your bank account!

1. Discard / Delete;  You can quickly decide whether a message is junk, spam, information that does not need to be kept.
2. Delegate it;  Give it to someone to handle, a partner, staff member, or employer - then move it to a personal folder in your email application.
3. Do it; Ask yourself ‘can I reply right this second?’  get it off your plate and be done with it - then delete it.
4. Date it; Can’t reply right now? don’t just leave it in your inbox!  Convert it to a ‘to do’ or ‘task’ in the email application and then move it to a folder.
5. Drawer; This email doesn’t require any action, but needs to be saved - simply move it into a folder in your email application.
6. Deter; Why do I keep getting this? Unsubscribe, block, set up a rule to automatically move it into a folder.

These simple steps will save you time, money and most importantly - your sanity.  Remember, the way you do anything is the way you do everything.  You must change your actions if you want to change your results.  If you would like a copy of this interview for detail on the 6 D’s and even more ‘Productivity Pro’ tips, send me an email; spencer@worksmartla.com micardis