Productivity Tip: How to rule your email

One of the best pieces of productivity advice I was given a few years ago was "Stop using your inbox as your To Do list". Why? Because email and tasks are two separate functions. Email is essential for efficient communication and collaboration. Tasks are items which need to be completed at some point in time and don't necessarily have to be staring you in the face. By trying to manage these two distinct functions within your inbox, you're going to be inefficient at both.

A couple of quick questions to gauge whether you need help or not.

Is your inbox so cluttered with messages it is daunting to consider tidying it up?

Are there messages containing non-urgent requests and reminders yet to be actioned?

Have you forwarded messages to yourself as a reminder to get something done?

Sound familiar? I have been there and trust me there is a better way to live.

Step One - Divide and Conquer!

Start by classifying your email - generally there are two types of messages:

• Now - Those that can be responded to immediately i.e. you can respond in under 2-3 minutes.
• Later - Those that require you to do additional work, write complicated reponses, complete other tasks, hold conversations or are non-urgent in their nature. It is these items that are really TASKS and should be prioritised amongst the complete list of your outstanding tasks.

By responding to the NOW messages immediately and then deleting or filing them you have started to de-clutter your inbox! Hurrah!!

So what about the LATER messages? They need to be forwarded onto a Task Manager and the original email message deleted or filed. More de-decluttering complete!

Step Two - Get a dedicated Task Manager

And no, I don't mean a personal assistant - unless you can afford one, then go for it!

A task manager is a dedicated tool that will hold your tasks and allow you to work through them away from the distraction of email. There are some great task managers available today including Wunderlist and Remember The Milk (RTM) - both I have used and would recommend - but Wunderlist is my current choice.

A quick look at why I like Wunderlist. (No, I am not at all affiliated with Wunderlist or receiveing a kick back for writing this, I really benefited from changing the way I work and so I share this hoping it may be helpful to you too.)

1. Email Tasks - you can forward email straight out of your inbox to Wunderlist and automagically a task based on your email is added to your Wunderlist Inbox.
2. Prioritise & Sort - Tasks can be starred to move them to the top of your list or drag and drop in the order you want as well as setting due and reminder dates. You can also filter to show tasks due Today, This Week etc.
3. Cross Platform - You can use Wunderlist via app on your desktop, phone, tablet or via the web interface and all of this information synchronises so you've always got your latest lists.
4. Multiple Lists - I have multiple Task Lists on the go. Some for work, some personal - I even have one for my grocery shopping list that I build using my laptop/tablet in the kitchen but then access on my phone from the store
5. Sub tasks - Add sub tasks for more complex jobs and projects
6. Documents - Upload related documents to a task (only avialable in the Pro/Paid version)
7. Share your lists - Invite other Wunderlist users to your list, allocate tasks and collaborate (only in the Pro/Paid version)

Still need convincing?

Here are a few of the benefits I've noticed from separating out email and tasks.

Improved Communication - email is a great communication tool and it revolutionised the way we work. However these days many of us end up trying to manage tasks in email because most of the requests we receive arrive via email. By using email for what it was truly designed for, my communication with others is faster and less likely to be lost in a sea of not-so-urgent messages. My email has becomes less of a chore.

Clarity - My Task Manager allows me to prioritise tasks based on due date and importance so that at a glance, I can see what needs attending to first. No more procrastinating and re-reading emails to decide which task to do next!

Freedom from my inbox - Working in this manner means I respond quickly to important messages and *gasp* actually close my email for an hour or two at a time to work through tasks and focus without interruption. How many times have you started to work through email in your inbox only to be distracted by new incoming messages?

Sense of Achievement - I don't know about you, but I LOVE ticking items off on my to do lists. I have been a list maker since my high school days and crossing items off gives me a sense of achievement. Yes, I am a nerd but I am sure many of you are the same. We really need to show ourselves occasionally that progress has been made and a task list is a great way to do this visually.

I hope you've found this useful and would love to hear if you have any other tips on how to improve email and task productivity.