Michael Nichols | Leadership Made Simple
Leadership Made Simple
Let’s face it – life happens. We all get derailed at one time or another. And it’s always more difficult to get back on track the second time. Third time. Fourth time.
I know – I’ve been there too.
Several weeks ago, a friend sent me the following email…
It’s so much easier to complain about a problem than it is to solve it.
Photo Credit: M. Oppenheim/Getty Images
I’ve worked with hundreds of organizations over the past 15 years. And I’ve learned that nearly everyone complains – many do it regularly.
There are several reasons people complain:
Years ago, I made some significant changes to how I handle hundreds of email messages each day. These changes dramatically decreased the amount of time I spent processing email. You can read about my experience here.
Then I heard Mark Miller speak about how he had learned to manage his email with maximum efficiency and effectiveness. He had learned a secret that I had not considered.
This post is part of the series – Get Your Life Back!
Take Control of Your Schedule
4 Tips for Managing Your Calendar More Effectively
Plan Your Year with Your Annual Plan
Create Your Best Week
You Can Keep Up With Your Email
The Secret for Managing Email More Efficiently
Mark’s secret for managing email was…
Over the years, my email volume has increased exponentially – keeping up with projects within my organization, communication with the students I teach, Twitter messages, Facebook messages, blog comments. I’m sure your list looks very similar.
This post is part of the series – Get Your Life Back!
Take Control of Your Schedule
4 Tips for Managing Your Calendar More Effectively
Plan Your Year with Your Annual Plan
Create Your Best Week
You Can Keep Up With Your Email
The Secret for Managing Email More Efficiently
Several months ago, I realized I was receiving hundreds of email messages each day and that processing email was requiring a significant portion of my day.
Despite all the current technology and innovative tools available, many people are falling further behind. They just can’t keep up with the enormous volume of messages hitting their inbox.
I, too, realized that my workload was not sustainable. Because I could no longer process hundreds of email messages a day in addition to my other responsibilities.
I knew something had to change if I was going to be more effective in my work and lead my team to be more effective.
I created a simple guide to help me get control of my email inbox. I’ll share it with you in just a moment.
Since email processing was the biggest “time waster” for me, I began by asking, What can I do immediately to save time with email?
If you don’t make time for the important stuff first, it will be crowded out by the less important – every time – guaranteed!
This article is part of the series – Get Your Life Back!
Take Control of Your Schedule
4 Tips for Managing Your Calendar More Effectively
Plan Your Year with the Annual Plan Template
Create Your Best Week
You Can Keep Up With Your Email
The Secret for Managing Email More Efficiently
If you want to find more fulfillment in your life and work, do the important stuff first. Stephen Covey illustrated this concept brilliantly in First Things First.
I’ve found this to be true for me over and over. My role demands that I spend much of my time on strategic planning and significant projects. Yet the small, urgent day-to-day challenges and problem-solving seem to crowd my days.
