Social Inbox Zero – Act
This is part two in my Social Inbox Zero series. We get hundreds of messages a day from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.; not to mention the many email addresses to manage daily. Everyone looking for a one button/tool solution, stop now. Maybe one day we’ll have a one button push marketing computer that weighs the pros, cons and responses and chooses the appropriate path and then posts the answer for you on various social networks. But today is not that day. Set Up a Routine Setting up a system for yourself varies according to how each YOU work best. In my case, I’m great at responding to email later in the day rather than first thing in[.....]
Social Inbox Zero
Inbox Zero. We’ve dabbled in it, read about it, tried to make it work for us, sometimes we succeeded. The system is like any system. It works if you are loyal to it. If you practice it consistently. If you aren’t familiar with Inbox Zero, it’s a system designed to help you tame your inbox. The goal is to have a inbox with zero messages in it. Everything filed, saved to a list for later or otherwise archived. The actions of Inbox Zero are Do/Defer/Delete/Delegate/Archive. We’re always looking for a ways to be more productive. We want more time to focus on the projects and people that matter. Managing Information from the Firehose If you[.....]
The Last To Do List You’ll Ever Need
Edit: cohuman is back!!!! You think I’m joking. I’m not. I’ve tried a great number of project management tools and/or todo lists out there. Trying in creative ways to make them work with my inbox so I can access the information I need plus get things done and share with my clients quickly. Most systems are trying to be everything for everyone in your business and therefore suck at being the one thing you need, especially if you’re a solo freelancer/consultant company who has many clients to share with. Sharing with individuals, getting them setup on your system and expecting that they’ll actually use it…well, let’s just say that’s not an easy thing to manage.[.....]
Why you should stop using your inbox as a to do list.
Our inboxes are the hubs of our daily lives. Some of us check them the first thing when we roll out of bed. (That’s a bad habit too!) They store notes from various people that are important to us on some level trying to get our attention. But if we start to using it as keeping track of the things we need to get done, problems emerge. See one email but there are 3 tasks attached, one with a deadline? Get distracted by all the things that keep coming in instead of focusing on the tasks that need your attention? These create stress.
How to Say No (and Yes)
Lately I’ve heard a lot of people ask the question how do you say no to something constructively? Maybe you’re busier than you know what to do with, but someone’s emailing you with this one project, thing, idea that they must talk with you about, get your input on, a review of their book/blog/business plan, an interview, a quote, or just help with promotion. Sometimes they use the following line: “I know you’re busy but…”. The person on the other end sees a minor time commitment on this really awesome thing but you see your current to do list and calendar and groan. Here’s a way to say no: ”That looks/sounds like a fascinating[.....]
