Sign #3 - 9 Signs You Have Costly Email Habits

The Reality:

Emails aren't just for reading.
Our inbox is where much of our work comes from these days. It makes up the source of a lot of our to-do list throughout the week.

There are lots of little tasks that emails ask us to do.

One little sentence that says, "can you please send me that link/quote/invitation/document/insert whatever instruction" - is really easy to overlook and not make a plan to action that request.

You're relying on your memory - or you leave those emails in your inbox and just pray that you'll stumble across it again in time.


The Consequences:

If you don't have a system of capturing the action items that come via your emails - you will inevitably miss things.
Sometimes very important things.

The action items that can't be completed at the time you read the email are the toughest.
Sometimes small email requests never make it onto your handwritten to-do list.

Perhaps the best you've come up with is putting reminders in your calendar. Is this bulletproof enough? Do you dismiss the reminder in your calendar and then forget to take the action?

Being unclear about your outstanding work to action is stressful and impacts the planning of your day. If you're often staying back late at work, this could be one of the reasons why.