Are You Overworking or Feeling Overwhelmed? Check out this Framework to Get to Inbox Zero AND Stay Organized

According to recent studies, nearly 3 in 4 people feel overwhelmed. You’re not alone — but there are some things you can do.

This is one of the common questions or asks for help I get from people — whether it’s working too much, not being able to get caught up or just feeling overwhelmed; we are trying to do more with less. So how do you break the cycle? Here’s how I balance everything.

Note: This isn’t a miracle — if you are overloaded and working 80 hours a week, this won’t get you to 40. But it can help you get closer!

Step 1. Realize the power of Outlook tasks.

I have tried OneNote, Kanban boards, and numerous other tools in the past — they’re fine, but none are as fast to use and avoid jumping from tool to tool when you’re balancing action items, emails and other responsibilities.

Step 2. Block time at the start and end of your day to process email.

You may need more time to GET to inbox zero, but once you get there, about 20 minutes at the start and end of day is all you need to stay there (and I get quite a bit of email). Start by creating folders for different kinds of emails you get. If you don’t need to take an action, drag it to the right folder.

If you do need to take an action but it’s quick, do it, then drop the email to the right folder.

If you need to take an action but it’s more than a minute, right click and make it a task. If you know you can’t get to it that day, set it for tomorrow or the day after.

Step 3. After each meeting, make action items tasks.

This is the magic of Outlook — you now have action items from meetings AND email attention tasks in the same place — quickly. After you finish a meeting, drop any tasks when you think you can get to them.

Bonus tip — try to break them down into very small tasks. Instead of one task with 5 steps, make 5 tasks. Brain research shows the brain releases endorphins when we check things off.

Step 4. Don’t log out until you finish/move your tasks from the day.

Things always pop up, and half the time, I don’t get to every task I outlined for myself that day. Push them to the next day (and if that backs up the next day, push those and reprioritize as needed). Outlook makes this fast by being able to drag and drop.

Step 5. Every Friday, prioritize your week.

I set aside a little extra time on Friday afternoons for this. Go to the calendar view, see what you have planned, and drag and drop your tasks where it makes sense based on your meeting load for that day. I can usually do this in 5–10 minutes.

You will probably be WAY off on how many tasks you can knock out in a week at first — but after 3–4 weeks, you’ll find you can get closer to right. (But I still fall short by a task or two most weeks.)

Practice these steps and you can stay at inbox zero — without dropping tasks from meetings or overwhelming yourself.

What tips do you have to stay organized?

Read this post and more on my Typeshare Social Blog