Inbox Zero Managing Email Overload with Action Based Email

1. Inbox ZeroManaging Email Overload with Action Based Email Christian Veillette M.D., M.Sc., FRCSC Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Shoulder & Elbow Reconstructive Surgery Toronto Western Hospital University Health Network Email: orthonet@gmail.com

2. Objectives • Learn a system for handling email overload • Understand the difference between checking email and processing email

3. Email Overload • Problem of email overload is taking a toll on all our time, productivity, and sanity • Why? Lack a cohesive system for processing our messages and converting them into appropriate actions as quickly as possible

4. Then • 1995 first email account • PINE • Did not need a system

5. Now • Email now one source for all incoming and outgoing information • Only way you are going to succeed is figuring out how to deal with high volume email • Remember - Life outside email

7. Time & Attention are finite.

8. Time & Attention are finite. Concept: Joel Spolsky

10. Inbox Zero Quickly answering a few escalating questions about each email message in my inbox: • What does this message mean to me, and why do I care? • What action, if any, does this message require of me? • What’s the most elegant way to close out this message and the nested action it contains?

11. Inbox Zero • Email’s just a medium • One place for anything • Process to zero • Convert to actions

12. What is Processing? More than checking Less than responding Decide what action to take with each email

13. Action based email

19. What are your actions?

20. The Processing Habit? “We are what we frequently do”- Aristotle If you want to stop being part of the majority whose ass is getting kicked by email every day, it’s time to get serious about improving your habits.

21. Do Email Less • Ultimate Goal - Spend less time playing with your email and more time doing stuff • Say no to crack(berry) - “always on” approach to email • “What if I ‘miss’ something?” • Schedule email dashes - ganging your related email work into a focused few minutes of hard-edged activity performed on a regular schedule

22. Benefits of the scheduled email dash • Gets you out of the perpetual notification business • allowing you to focus on your non-email work without interruption or distratction • Gives you more contextual insight into your true priorities • rather than letting the existence of new mail always equate the need for your instant and undivided attention • slightly higher-level vantage point lets you choose richest targets in context • dash format forces you to wisely pick best use of your time • surprisingly many “crises” will resolve themselves between dashes • Regular schedule firewalls your time and attention • ensures that you won’t get so absorbed in hitting “Get new mail” that the real “thinking work” gets short shrift

23. Cheat! • Create filters • Noisy, frequent, and non-urgent items which can be dealt with all at a pass and later • “friend” requests and similar announcements from community sites like Facebook or Flickr • mailing lists and subscribed forum threads • regular updates like newsletters and office memos • non-spam store updates, coupons, and sale announcements When you check your email and find yourself groaning “Ugh, this again?” consider creating a filter.

24. My Inbox

25. Thank you The Orthopaedic Internet: A Collaborative Resource