Productivity Portfolio

In the past months, Ive listened to a number of people express frustration over the number of emails received. In each case Ive asked people if they read all their emails and the answer is no. People reply that they don't have the time to read all the emails.

If I dig deeper and ask people if all the emails are needed, the answers vary. Some people say no and others indicate they need to read the email first. These people are so locked on the size of the Inbox or unread email count that they miss patterns.

The pattern Ive seen is email subscriptions. We all have email subscriptions that no longer provide the intended value. Instead of offering useful information, these emails clog the Inbox. Unlike magazines, email subscriptions are easier to acquire and keep. I'm guessing you could give me an accurate count of how many print publications you get, but would be way off on the email side. At least with print publications, we get an annual bill that prompts the value question.

In contrast, you can pick up email subscriptions without trying. At the time you subscribed, you may not have known much about the content. You needed to see several issues before making a judgment. Since there is no urgency in unsubscribing, we defer that decision. We also figure there isn't a cost involved since we can store gigs of email. Sorry, but I think some email triage is in order.

I suggest you make a conscious effort and decide which email subscriptions are of value and which you should cancel. This isn't a process you have to do in one fell swoop. You can knock out a bunch of these during commercial breaks.

The hardest step for people in this process is unsubscribing. People are fearful that they'll miss something important. True, but that is always a risk given the amount of information created these days. At some point, you need to act on information rather than accumulating more.

If you cant let go, I suggest finding a means to assign the reading to someone else. Be creative and forward the emails to your kids and pay them to give you an executive briefing. Delegate some to an employee and ask for feedback on which subscriptions should be kept.

Every 6 months or so, I go through this exercise. Each time, I get more selective in which newsletters I keep. Still, I'm surprised how many new ones I amass. In my case, I don't like having newsletters appear in my Inbox unless they are critical. This approach minimizes my inbox so I can find and act on items more quickly.

Most of my email newsletters go to a separate Reading folder based on email rules. I also subscribe to many sites and newsletters using RSS. By removing these items from my Inbox, I can more easily focus on the email items that truly need my attention.