Decisions, decisions… 4 Critical Questions for Processing Email

by Skip Colfax

Staying organized and keeping on top of email wasn’t always easy for me. I was the guy who was frequently late for meetings because I couldn’t for the life of me find the email invitation telling me where the meeting was being held, or what the dial-in information was. My inbox had more than 500 emails on any given day and I often printed them, thinking, “If I have it on paper, surely I’ll get it done!” Well those led to some of the piles of paper that ended up on or around my desk. I was a disorganized mess!

Now I keep my inbox clean as a whistle at the end of each day. To make that happen, I process my email using the EDGE Deciding Model and ask 4 basic questions:

1. What is this?

I read the email and determine what it is, an assignment of new work? Is it someone’s contact information, a reading assignment, new project, or a simple request for some information?

2. Is it actionable?

I need to identify what I’m looking at and if it requires action or not. About half of the emails I get are not actionable. Many contain some information I want to keep or will need later, so I create contact files, or make notes. Sometimes I’ll file an email in a project or reference folder, or I’ll put it on my Someday/Maybe list. I’m glad to say that today, many of my emails get the X….. I love using the delete button; it gives me control over my inbox. “Nice to know” information is indeed nice to know, but I don’t clutter my inbox or email folders with it anymore.

3. Is it a project?

If email requires action, I ask, “How much action?” If it is simple 1 to 4 steps, I create my next action in my task list.

If it is larger than that, I create a project plan, including a desired outcome statement and a list of tasks needed to achieve my desired outcome. My desired outcome statement keeps me motivated to do all of the tasks required, even the tasks I don’t particularly like doing.

4. What is the very next action?

I create my very next action so that it is doable in one sitting. These are the next tasks needed to forward my project, or the next task from a smaller To Do. Actions show up in my daily activities and keep me moving forward. For all of my projects, I have at least one “next action” in my action list. I love checking them off as they are completed! That’s satisfying and motivating too! I love getting stuff done, it makes me feel good and raises my energy level.

Using the EDGE Deciding Model and asking those 4 questions keeps my email inbox in check and my projects and goals moving forward. I love this model and use it a couple of times daily. I can’t imagine going back to my old ways.