I wanted to write on this topic for quite a while now, mainly because I love the term Email Ninja. If you, like me, work in a huge company and in a position with a lot communication coming in and going out you may know the problem of an overwhelming inbox.
Leo Babauta, author of the Zen Habits blog gives a beautiful list of things to do to become an Email Ninja. I tried all of these advices over the last few weeks and I can’t praise them enough. Follow these rules and you will definitely get your grip on your inbox. Let me give you a short example by quoting his rule # 8:
Be liberal with the delete key. Too often we feel like we need to reply to every email. But we don’t. Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that will happen if I delete this?” If the answer isn’t too bad, just delete it and move on. You can’t reply to everything. Just choose the most important ones, and reply to them. If you limit the emails you actually reply to or take action on, you get the most important stuff done in the least amount of time. Pareto and all that.
Link: Leo Babauta – 10 Steps to Become an Email Ninja