You need effective and efficient ways to process all the information coming at you: email, messages, information from your direct reports and co-workers, project news and action items, lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Plus, you need methods which are scalable. Some methods work fine at first but not when your responsibilities and scope expand.
It’s a mix of principles (e.g., separate the processing and action, use your calendar for planning your work time, use reminders) and tactics which are specific to the tools as they evolve.
Don’t live and work out of your Inbox. Avoid the temptation to live in “react” mode all day. Scrolling up and down a long list of emails is not the best way to prioritize your energy and attention, and wastes time.
Fewer fat folders + Search is better than 120 folders. You have Inbox and Sent Items by default. Add @Action, @Collecting (for things which you might need later), and @<significant name> for your main work. Maybe think about a couple of project-specific folders.
Process emails – read & file, respond if quick, move to @Action folder for follow-through. You don’t to get to “inbox zero” every day but in the long run there are greater rewards from spending more time in your @Action folder than your Inbox. Consider doing processing 3x/day (note: this will not work if you’re in a support role where email notifications need to be acted upon quickly).
Work offline in email to avoid being distracted by new incoming messages. (In Outlook, click on “Work Offline” in the Send/Receive menu.)
Convert email correspondence into calendar time or tasks to follow-through on promises and good intentions.
Calendar
Your calendar is your best friend in managing your time allocation. It should reflect your personal (e.g., family, exercise) commitments – including vacations– and your time to work on specific projects, as well as scheduled meetings.
Create calendar entries for the day for things which need to get done that day but not necessarily a specific time of the day. Check “All Day” and make it Free; it will appear as text at the top of the day view.
Squeeze meeting length down. Better that a 30 min meeting runs 4 min long than an hour was spent on something that didn’t deserve it.
If you have an upcoming deliverable, or a meeting to prepare for, schedule working time days and weeks in advance. You can move these “appointments with yourself” if necessary but try to keep your commitments. It’s also helpful to be able to say, “I had something else planned for that time. Could we meet a different time?”
Schedule some time at the end of the week to look ahead 2-3 weeks for upcoming events and obligations – and add work time and meetings to your calendar accordingly.
Tasks & Reminders
Some people are good with message flags but that didn’t work for me. I do better with tasks.
Capture tasks quickly. Ctrl-Shift-K opens up a new task. Type a few words, set a reminder date, and Ctrl-S to save. Then you’ll be reminded at just the right time, and your brain can go to other things.
Task reminders are a powerful way to keep track of items with your direct reports:
- “Ask Becky about her meeting with Legal on XYZ project”
- “Did soccer season begin for Michael’s team?”
- “Adriana and I agree to look at communication training in Q2”
- “Did Rissa send the email as promised?”
- “You promised to get back to Evonn on her question about ____”
Task reminders are also useful for keeping up with external contacts, remembering birthdays and special events, and remembering to get presents for that special occasion that creeps up on you every year.
Instant Messaging and Chat Channels
Useful for quick notes, check-ins. My suggestion is to only use these for information exchange where the content won’t be significant to retain beyond the same day.
One-on-Ones with Direct Reports
Always clear your head before a one-on-one so you can listen well. Never go into a one-on-one without a plan. Between meetings, keep a running list about items you want to discuss with the person. Review your notes from the past couple of one-on-ones to help you prepare.
I like the manager-tools.com approach: A weekly meeting. First half is for them, second half is for you.
Listen as much to what is unsaid as to what is said.
Take notes – what you talked about, key deliverables, upcoming events, personal items. Paper is good for in-person conversations. I’ve been using OneNote while on Zoom.
Set reminders and follow-through calendar times after your meeting.
Use your notes as input for mid-year and end-of-year performance review.
Meetings with your peers and your boss
Very similar to meetings with your directs – except you don’t have positional authority. The practices of preparation, listening, and follow-through are the same.
Other tips:
- Learn keyboard shortcuts in Outlook. Saves you tons of time. Limits repetitive motion injuries with your mouse.
- Develop an end of the day ritual. Collect up loose ends, do any final prep of materials for tomorrow, know exactly what you need to start on at the beginning of tomorrow, and physically signal to yourself that you’re done for today.
- Memory fails, so keep a notepad and pen handy for quick notes to yourself. A few 3×5 cards in your pocket works well when you’re moving around. Some people can work quickly enough on their phone that it works for them. It’s still nice to be able to leave a note with someone, or at their desk.
- Corporate digital systems are not private. Treat them like mailing a postcard or posting on a public library bulletin board.
- These practices are about being effective, not being perfect.
Resources:
Manager Tools – massive collection of podcasts
