Beat the Email Monster Once and for All
In Speedmailing, Wolfe shows you how to get a grip on your daily stream of e-mail messages. He does this using a practical step-by-step plan and basic rules, with which you can manage your mail quickly and efficiently. The principles of speedmailing are simple and rely heavily on the Getting Things Done philosophy of David Allen. To process e-mail faster, you create four action folders:
Do this week
Later/Maybe
Waiting for
Agenda
Then, at most twice a day, you empty your inbox by answering emails directly or moving them to the correct folder. If you use shortcuts for this, this process will go even faster. Finally, if you check your action folders every week, you can be sure that you don't forget anything and you keep everything under control.
Is checking your email twice a day impossible at your job? Richard Wolfe doesn't think so: "When customers and colleagues need us right away, they'll pick up the phone. Your customers and colleagues benefit more from increased productivity than from a quick response."
Basic rules for an empty inbox
In addition to the four action folders, Wolfe uses three basic rules for an empty inbox.
Also read: Full mailbox every day? Keep it home business opportunity seekers empty with these 4 folders!
Empty your inbox mail by mail
Can you answer an email in less than two minutes? Do it right away
After you have finally processed your emails, you save them in an archive folder, where you can find them later via the search function if necessary. In a separate chapter, the author gives smart tips for this and teaches you shortcuts. For example, if you search with a -sign, you exclude certain search terms and reduce the number of results.
What do I think of Speedmail?
Dealing with e-mail more efficiently saves a lot of time. If your inbox is overflowing every day and you have never done e-mail management, then the words of praise on the front and back cover may be justified. However, Wolfe's system is by no means unique.
The author cleverly combines elements from Getting Things Done and working more efficiently with shortcuts into a user-friendly system. There are countless tutorials on the internet that do the same thing. Sometimes they work a little differently, but the basic rules of Speedmailing fit on a beer mat and a list of shortcuts can be printed out easily.