Another of my new business resolutions was to keep my Outlook Inbox crystal clean at all times. I told myself that I wouldn’t go to bed if I had not finished the things that had come in that day – either filing things or answering people or setting up tasks that couldn’t be done right away. I don’t do everything according to the productivity master David Allen, who wrote one of the most popular personal productivity books ever, Getting Things Done. I do religiously follow his 2-Minute Rule, which states:

“If the Next Action can be done in 2 minutes or less, do it when you first pick the item up.” Even if that item is not a “high priority”, because it takes longer to store and track any item than to deal with it the first time it’s in your head. (p. 131, “Getting Things Done”)

I didn’t do a good job of keeping that resolution, and when I woke up this morning, I had 27 emails still sitting there. Of course, at my last job, I left more than 2700 items unfiled in my Inbox. So 27 isn’t bad.

Here’s what slowly slipped into the big black Inbox hole:

1. A half dozen or so messages from WordPress to “please moderate comment on…” Frankly I’m thrilled when I get one of those. It’s to me like a handful of hellos on a college campus as I walk to class: people who don’t really know you but who are taking time to notice you exist and to reach out for a moment. I hadapproved all the comments already, so those I deleted.
2. A newsy note from an old friend who just learned I left my old company. She’s still in the box because I have to take the time to be newsy back.
3. Several notes from people who want to see the results of a survey I just did for eNewsletters – both the ones you read and the ones your organization produces. I had written many of them back to see if they wanted to sign up for my eNewsletter to get the article automatically, and I had to sort through my Inbox and collect the contact info of the ones who said yes (I use AddressGrabber for this – Fantastic tool!). All sorted and disposed of.
4. Two very intelligent responses to my query on a listserv about whether direct mail was making a comeback for marketing in the face of email overload. I’m embarrassed about these two notes. I haven’t written these people back, and now it’s getting to the point where I simply have no excuse – I just haven’t. I hate it when I do that. I left these guys in my email box.
5. A note from a client asking me to send the invoice on to the accountant at their organization. I kick myself that I put that one off. But it’s taken care of, and the email’s gone.
6. A note from artist David Castle telling me how to order his beautiful abstract note cards, which I like to use for thank you notes. I couldn’t find my checkbook, so I printed the email out and will send the check next week.
7. Finally, I had a great note from my boyfriend, Art, telling me how much enjoyed my company at lunch a couple of weeks ago. We went to an overpriced, overhyped chain and had a mediocre meal, and I was fretting because I had convinced him to go. I feel sentimental about those emails, those one- or two-line quick compliments that make you smile. But out it went because I don’t have a folder called, “Things My Boyfriend Says That Make Me Smile.”

So I went from 27 emails to 3, plus I created 3 tasks I need to accomplish from the ones I deleted. Not bad.