Email: Help or Hindrance

Are you addicted to email?

If you are - you're probably not alone. Personally, I think one of the biggest distractions for most business owners is email.

Is your email button the first thing you hit when you switch your computer on? I know that mine is - or it used to be.

I found that by checking email first - I could easily get distracted from 'doing work' by going through them. Does this sound familiar? You see the weekly (or sometimes daily) newsletters from the store, so you stop by to 'check their deal of of the day' - perhaps there's an e-card in there from a friend, so you decide to return the favor - or maybe Facebook is notifying you of a new friend or addition to your 'wall' - so what do you do - you get straight on there and start pottering about.

Before you know it, an hour or so has passed, it's time for a coffee and you feel like you've done a good morning's work. When really you haven't done anything at all!

Try for one week, to check email AFTER you've done everything else you need to do. Do your customer care calls, place your online order, or whatever it is you need to do that day, AND THEN check your emails.

ALSO, just as it's hard to concentrate in a messy office, a messy email inbox can send you running in a hundred different directions if you are not careful.

Here are some tips to organize your inbox and help you stay focused.

1) Create categories in your inbox

* Inbox
* Act Now (items I need to do in the next 5 minutes)
* Do (items I should do today)
* Waiting for Reply
* etc.

2) Use tasks to group your "to do" items

* Items that I will do in the next few days, weeks, or months ahead, you can move to your task folder.

3) As you read your emails, click and edit the subject line so it says the action you need to take

* e.g. when someone sends you an email question, try editing the subject line of that email to say, "Check when Tina's order was shipped). You don't even have to open the email to have an instant reminder about what action you need to take.

4) Use personal folders help organize your emails

Try using these ideas - hope they help!

Remember to go to http://www.direct-sales-tips.com/ and subscribe to my FREE PARTY PLAN TIPS for more tips and motivations direct to your inbox, but don't forget to create a personal folder for them and keep them together!