Pop Quiz: How many emails are currently in your inbox?  Be honest.  10? 20? 50? 200? More?

A colleague I recently spoke with had 2300+ email messages in their inbox.  A large percentage unread and unanswered.  At that point your email has become an ineffective means of communication.

You read stories of people declaring “email bankruptcy” and giving up on their entire inbox without a care as to the repercussions.

When was the last time you saw your inbox empty?  Empty?  That is just plain silly.  Mine does not go to empty?!!

Ah, the elusive empty email inbox, sometimes referred to as “Inbox Zero.”

Here are 5 Swift Tips to Help Empty Your Inbox:

1 – Do not be afraid to delete emails

Why is it so scary to delete emails?  Just like clutter in their house, people are afraid to throw things out.  Personally, I think you should be quick to delete any email that does not serve an immediate purpose.  Regardless of whether it is from a colleague or the mail order company you purchased from last month.

But, what if I delete something important?  Don’t worry.  If you make an oversight, it will come back.  Trust me.  If it was important, I guarantee it will come back. (more…)

Are you a multitasker?  It is OK, you can admit it.

Are you one of those people that is constantly working on 57 different things?

Multi-tasking: It just doesn’t work.  Trust me.

The truth is… it is all about priorities.  Of those 57 things you are working on, I’ll bet 3 are important.

At the end of the day, will you be better off with 57 things started or with those 3 most important items done?

Why It’s Better Done Than Started

Have you seen one of those people who flits from task to task?  Maybe a co-worker or friend.  A true busy bee.  They are always very, very busy.  Yet, they don’t seem to accomplish much.

In fact, while they are a flurry of action, they are floundering to stay ahead.  Busy will only carry you so far.  Eventually, reality catches up.  Don’t get me wrong, there are workplaces which mistakenly reward busy instead of results.  If you are in one, get out…because they don’t tend to stay around very long.

Really, it’s all about completion.  It doesn’t matter how many things you start.  It is about how many you finish. Starting your taxes is good.  Finishing them is what counts.  Starting to write a business proposal is good intent.  But, it does not deliver results.

In fact, starting but not finishing, can actually create more work later.  The simple task that you begin and then pause will take more time when you return to it.  You will have to spend extra time figuring out where you left off.

How to Get Done (more…)

The Driftwood Principle

Are you driftwood floating down the river of life, going wherever it takes you?  Do you let life make decisions for you?  Do you let it wear you down sometimes?

What happens to driftwood?  Over time, it becomes worn, it goes where the river takes it, and sometimes it is broken on the rocks as it goes downstream.

Many people are driftwood.  They go where life takes them.  They do not make decisions that alter their course.  And ultimately, their condition becomes a result of what life does to them.

Why are these people driftwood?  The simplest answer is because it is easy. It is the do nothing option.  It is easier not to make choices.  Not to be wrong.  Not to be embarassed.  It is easy to be lazy.

Do you want to be driftwood?  Or would you rather set your own course for the destination of your choice?

How Not to be Driftwood… (more…)

The other day, I tweeted the question, “Would you rather lose your phone or your wallet?”

The question seemed to hit a nerve.  At some point, each of us has probably endured one or the other.  (And for some, more often than others…)

But, more interesting, was that the camps were divided.  Many said they would rather lose their phone.  However, almost as many said they would pick their wallet to lose.

Are you surprised that some would rather lose their wallet before their phone?  It just goes to show how much we have become dependent on these little devices.  Whether an iPhone, Blackberry, or even a simple cellphone, many of us have come to rely on them as our pocket brains.

I know many people who would not be able to recite their spouse’s number without their phone!

What’s in your wallet?

Like a popular ad slogan asks, “Do you know what’s in your wallet?”  This is going to be an important question after you lose it.

The majority of people do not have an inventory of what is in their wallet.  So, when they do lose it, they are scrambling to figure out who to call to report lost cards.

In this day and age, what in your wallet is not really replaceable?  Credit cards? A driver’s license?  Even receipts are not as important as they once were.

Many people live solely by their cards and rarely use cash.  I do this, so it could be particularly inconvenient from this aspect.  And, of course, losing your driver’s license can be a pain if you travel often and need it for ID.

Reducing the impact: (more…)

I have been using the iPad for a short time now.  Yesterday, I started an experiment to try and replace my laptop with the iPad and will provide details in the near future.

Today, I wanted to demonstrate some of the basic iPad productivity functionality.

Let me know what you think.  Also, if there are specific time management apps you would like me to review, please let me know if the comments below.

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Mentioned in this video:

“9 Ways the iPad Will Change Time Management” – An article by me.

Evernote – Great application for collecting all your notes and being able to access them from almost anywhere.

Goodtodo – Simple, yet powerful, web-based Todo list application by Mark Hurst.