Re-reading My Own Emails

In preparation for the intense business season that starts tomorrow (my flight for the CES show leaves at 6AM), I've been spending quite a lot of time sorting our the threads I'm entangled in. The subjects of preparation, combing and other techniques that keep me organized in the massively multi-threaded, highly clocked business.

Working with the Inbox-Zero mindset on a daily basis I usually make sure I am not behind with any response. But this is reactive. It is only a part o of the story, as it assumes the others are taking actions and I am not stopping them.

The proactive part is even more important. Look around. See what needs to be done. Start doing (which often means write an email). This would be complete if the others worked with the Inbox-Zero mindset too. Unfortunately very often they don't as it requires an extra effort (yes getting the Inbox to zero is not difficult, you just have to keep doing this - no excuses!).

But to isolate those who keep with the pace from those who do not, even more work is needed.

My approach is to periodically comb through the Sent Mail folder. Over the last two days I've gone through more than 700 email conversations in my Sent Items. They spanned over the last 2 months. It is an extremely unveiling picture this process paints. The organization, processes, people, everything crystal clear. I started clustering the issues using a mind map. Very quickly a couple of problematic areas emerged. I mean I suspected they could have been problematic, but having a mind map with a couple of red clusters on it is a wonderful tool disclosing where the most severe problems are. Now all needs to be done is taking actions to eliminate the red.

After this exercise I feel better than ever in control of the organization. And in control of my own tasks. Organized and prepared. Let the 2015 start in a full swing!