{"id":619,"date":"2010-12-06T06:17:55","date_gmt":"2010-12-06T06:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerstinpur.de\/?p=619"},"modified":"2025-02-04T10:20:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T09:20:50","slug":"how-i-get-things-done-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerstinhack.de\/en\/wie-ich-die-dinge-geregelt-kriege-3\/","title":{"rendered":"How I get things done - 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

A friend said to me yesterday: \u201eActually, I\u2019d have expected that Book<\/a> I don\u2019t need to buy anything at all \u2013 you always give me the best tips anyway.
\nSo: Here are the next ones.
\nThe biggest challenge for me \u2013 but also the most significant positive change \u2013 is to take the following advice to heart:
\n\u2013 When you\u2019re sorting through your inbox, do one thing at a time. Don\u2019t pick up the next sheet (or the next email) until you\u2019ve decided what to do with the previous one. <\/strong> Incidentally, this also applies to filing.<\/p>\n

My method so far has been this: I flick through or scan the inbox folder and deal with whatever I can sort out quickly and easily first. The rest gets left to one side for the time being \u2013 for \u201esometime\u201c. But before \u201esometime\u201c arrives, a whole host of new things pile up that are easier and simpler to deal with. Over time, this has led to what I call \u2018dead zones\u2019: a whole pile of stuff where I haven\u2019t decided what to do with it.<\/p>\n

Now, when it comes to paper (99%) \u2013 and for emails, only about 80% \u2013 I follow this advice: pick up a sheet of paper and decide what to do.
\n\u2013 If it\u2019s not relevant: bin it.
\n\u2013 If it needs to be kept for reference purposes, then put it in the filing cabinet.
\n\u2013 If someone else can do it \u2013 delegate.
\n\u2013 If I can do it in less than 2 minutes \u2013 do it straight away.
\n\u2013 If it takes longer than 2 minutes: decide what to do and add it to the to-do list.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how I\u2019ve spent the last week
\n\u2013 got the backlog down to \u201e0\u201c
\n\u2013 the Inbox folder has been reduced by approximately 70%
\n\u2013 My inbox and reading pile have shrunk a bit\u2026 but they\u2019re still the biggest areas needing work.<\/p>\n

But \u2013 there\u2019s light at the end of the tunnel. I find myself thinking less and less often, \u201eThere might be something else I\u2019ve forgotten,\u201c and I\u2019m enjoying the energy it gives me to have greater clarity and even better, more helpful structures.<\/p>\n

How wonderful!<\/p>\n