If you’re anything like me, you might think, “There’s no possible way I’ll ever get to inbox zero.”  Over the years, I’ve read many articles and books and even attended seminars with advice about the value of having zero emails in your inbox. I’ve commented on many posts, “I greatly admire your ability to get to zero and would love to do it myself, but don’t see how I can realistically get there…ever!” I’ve imagined how it might feel to be unencumbered by old emails and an inbox that felt more like a “to-do someday list.”

While I haven’t set all of my 2018 goals in motion or even decided what they will be, one of the goals I committed to this year was my project “inbox zero.” I wanted a fresh start and a clean slate to grow from. With this new goal of “zero” in mind, I was curious if I could achieve it. I also wondered how to make it happen.

So, I set a simple plan in motion. I remembered some advice I learned, which helped me create a doable plan. Using the breaking-down-large-projects-into-small-parts thought process, I set up a few basic rules.

Linda’s Rules for Project Inbox Zero

Set a completion date. I opted to have this done by January 1st. Guess what? That didn’t happen, but it did happen a week later. It’s good to remember that deadlines are great motivators, but be flexible. As it turns out, I needed that extra time to complete my goal. And if I needed more time, I would have made another adjustment.

Create some parameters. With hundreds of emails and decisions to process, I knew I’d need more than a day to get through them. I used small time blocks daily to process the old emails while keeping up with the new ones. The beauty of doing a little bit each day was that decision-making wasn’t overwhelming. If I experienced decision fatigue, I stopped. I aimed for progress, not completion. That kept me motivated and ready for the next email session.

Establish the “dump” buckets. That may seem like an odd term, but it’s what it felt like. Reviewing each email, I decided which “bucket” to “dump” the email or information into. My favorite bucket was the trash. If the email was no longer relevant, I let it go. Another bucket was my “to-do” list. Anything that required action or follow-up got assigned a date on my list to review later. A third bucket was contacts. Some emails required transferring stats or information to my contact system. The other types of emails are related to current or past projects. Those went into archive buckets. These archives are digital folders with specific project or topic category names.

Be Realistic. The most challenging emails to decide about were those I hoped to have done something with someday but hadn’t. I used the “how long I’ve been ignoring this email factor” to determine the likelihood of ever attending to that thing. In most cases, those emails ended up in the “trash” bucket. A few were archived or added to my to-do list. However, I tried to be as realistic as possible before they were kept. The point of achieving inbox zero wasn’t just to empty the box but also to make realistic assessments about the contents.

“Use small time blocks daily to process the old emails while keeping up with the new ones.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Do it now. Some emails required more immediate action, like signing up for ICD’s new teleclasses. The time needed to complete those tasks was minimal. However, once the task was completed, the email could be deleted. So, I opted to handle any quick action emails right away rather than adding them to my to-do list.

As you’ve figured out by now, with these simple rules in place, I got through hundreds of emails within a few weeks, routed them to their buckets, and arrived at inbox zero. It’s a little strange to see my empty inbox. It looks kind of lonely. I’m still expecting hundreds of messages every time I open the program. Along with the strangeness, I feel liberated with a positive feeling that fresh starts often bring. There’s a certain clarity and focus when attending to the few new ones that pop in.

I’m looking forward to other types of letting go in the coming months. There are papers to shred, files to clear out, and general “stuff” to release. Emails were just the beginning.

What is your relationship to your inbox? Have you struggled with managing email? What works or doesn't work for you? What has your experience been with inbox zero or fresh starts for this year? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation!

The newest installment (v16) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature is here with my latest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring motivation-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme. You are an extraordinary and engaged group. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced for you. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? . . .

1. Interesting Read – Motivating Choices

Wait, What? by James E. Ryan

Finding the answers we seek are in the quality of the questions we ask. Asking the right questions can motivate us to start or stop doing something, move us forward when we’re stuck, or help us understand something more deeply. One of the books I recently read was Wait, What? And Life’s Other Essential Questionsby James E. Ryan, author and dean of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Ryan says, “Posing irresistible questions…is an art worth cultivating.”  He shares five essential questions like “Wait, what?” which is effective for getting clarification or avoiding quick judgments, and “I wonder…?” which fosters curiosity. Specifically for getting unstuck and motivating movement, Ryan suggests, “Couldn’t we at least…?”  This book is a wonderful resource that will add quality questions to your motivation toolbox.

2. Interesting Perspective – Motivating Action

What do you do when your To Do listoverwhelms you? I came across this pin, which adds some lightness to the serious list-makers among us. To tame those long lists, make a “Today” list. Keep it short … really short as in two to three items. Your list’s brevity will boost your motivation, increase your action, and make you feel good about your accomplishments. I can see your success.

3. Interesting Tech – Motivating Mindfulness

Even the busiest among us can make time for mindfulness moments with the Buddhify app. It provides both solo or guided meditations that help even during the most hectic times. If you need a mindfulness work break, are experiencing difficult emotions, are feeling stressed, or can’t sleep, Buddhify has a unique meditation designed just for you. Your pocket mindfulness coach will motivate you to embrace some much-needed Zen.

4. Interesting Product – Motivating Preparedness

It’s challenging to find the motivation to think or talk about death preparedness. It’s a topic that many of us avoid. We know it will happen, but not yet, not now. So we delay preparing. We delay discussing. We delay until it’s too late and we put that burden on our family. Fortunately, Amy Pickard, CEO of Good To Go created the Departure File, which “eliminates stress, guilt, doubt and provides those you leave behind with the certainty of knowing they are carrying out your wishes.” She was motivated to create this product, along with support to go with it, when her mother died unexpectedly leaving no paperwork and hundreds of details to handle. Maybe the Departure File is just the motivation you need to get your affairs in order for your loved ones.

5. Interesting Thought – Motivating Positivity

Sometimes we need a positive reminder to recognize that we can move forward, we can get unstuck, and we can accomplish the goals we desire. To reignite your motivation, use a positivity mantra like “I can” or something else that feels right for you.

What are your interesting finds? Which of these resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

The greening of spring is magnificent this year. The abundance of rain we’ve experienced in the past month has created the incredibly beautiful, lush blooms. I’ve been feeling a strong pull to spend more time outside so that I can drink in the changing landscape. Each day nature offers up new gifts, just waiting to be noticed.

Just yesterday, our first white iris opened. As I walked down the front path, I crouched down so that I could better see the bloom and take in its sweet candy-like scent. Time stood still. There were no lists, to dos, or clutter racing around my head. All doing was suspended for a few brief moments as I delighted in experiencing this new flower.

It was a quiet, mindful moment.

Throughout the remainder of the day, between the doing and getting things done, I kept returning to the iris. I visited it again and again, appreciating its scent and lovely paper-thin petals. It kept me grounded in the present. It allowed me to let go of my mind clutter and focus on what was right in front of me.

Perhaps you’re experiencing challenges with overwhelm, clutter, or lack of time. If so, you’re not alone. Change is possible. Pause for mindful moments. They might just be a surprising antidote to your clutter and overwhelm challenges. Incorporating more mindful moments into your day will shift your perspective and help you navigate the changing landscape.

What have you been noticing this spring? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

“In our fast-paced, always on world, it’s not difficult to access information. It comes at you at breakneck speed. Articles, blog posts, status updates, tweets- there’s never a shortage of ideas to consider.”

— Lori Eschene, Tiny Buddha founder

We're humans living in a digital world. Having 24/7 access to our technology can make us feel overwhelmed, stressed, challenged to prioritize what’s most important, and un-motivated to move forward.

By identifying some of the sources and challenges of our digital overwhelm, and by learning how to better manage them, we can increase our sense of well-being, motivation, and focus. Some of the overwhelm sources include our digital devices like our smartphones, laptops, and desktops. The addictive nature of those devices lure us with their unlimited access to emails, texts, Internet surfing, social media communities like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. There’s no shortage of digital accessibility vying for our time and attention.

Common digital overwhelm challenges include:

• Interruptions - We can be working productively and suddenly get interrupted by our phone vibrating, an email alert dinging, or a new text message buzzing. We find it difficult to ignore these distractions. We check, we respond, we lose our focus, and it takes time to get back to what we were doing.

• Difficulty Prioritizing & Focusing – In the article “Is Modern Technology Creating a Culture of Distraction?” Mathew Ingram asks the question, “Are modern devices and digital conveniences making us more distracted and less able to concentrate?” The constant barrage of continual digital input and easy accessibility makes it increasingly difficult for us to prioritize and focus on what’s most important.

• Endless – Judith Kolberg, organizer, author and industry-futurist, writes about the concept of “endless” in her book, Getting Organized in the Era of Endless. She says that there’s an endless quantity of information, endless availability, and endless accessibility. This is juxtaposed to a finite amount of time. Choice becomes essential. Judith suggests placing parameters around endless so that we can prioritize and make better decisions.

• Addiction & Reward – Researchers from a University of Chicago study found that "tweeting or checking email may be harder to resist than alcohol,” and that “social media was ‘more addictive’ than cigarettes.” According to a post by Buttoned Up,we are rewarded with feelings of “belonging and significance” when we respond to our digital devices. Responding makes us feel good and this adds to the addictiveness.

Are these challenges familiar? If so, experiment with strategies that will reduce your overwhelm and re-focus your energy.

Solutions for managing digital overwhelm include:

• Establish Boundaries – Information and demands to engage are coming faster and in larger quantities than ever before. Be clear and selective about what you will and won’t do. Align your "yeses" with your values and priorities. Have your “no” statements prepared. For example, you might say- “No, I’m not going to text while I’m having dinner with my family.” “No, I’m not going to engage in social media until I finish my report.” “No, I’m not going to check my email every 5 minutes.” “No, I’m not going to . . ."

• “Ding Management” – Reduce the sounds, alerts and pop-ups that we’re wired to respond to and find extremely hard to resist. When you need to focus, turn off your alerts. I’ve opted to turn them off permanently. There are also apps and programs like Freedom, Focus, and Self Control that enable you to lock yourself out temporarily of "rewarding" programs like email and social media sites. Here's a recent review of Self Control to give you an idea of how these types of programs work.

• Digital Blackouts – Getting "unplugged" has become a cottage industry with detox retreats, digital diets, and unplugging-themed conferences. I've noticed that more people are taking personal digital blackouts on certain hours or days. They get a mental break to unplug and focus 100% of their energy on their friends, family, or non-tech activities. If the thought of unplugging makes you anxious, try it for a short duration and build from there. In the New York Times article, “The Risks of Parenting While Plugged In,” one mom blogger who decided to establish a personal daily email and Internet ban between 4-8pm said, “If I’m at all connected, it’s too tempting. I need to make a distinct choice.” Her kids were thrilled.

• Green Breaks - Ever-present technology is designed to constantly pull our attention that can lead to mental exhaustion, overwhelm and burnout. Scientists, like cognitive psychologist David Strayer, Ph.D., agree that nature restores mental fatigue and increases creativity. Take a walk in the woods, sit under a tree, or dip your feet in the river. Unplug from your devices, go outside, and feel the positive affects on your well-being.

• Slow Down – Don’t buy into the 24/7 busyness and access. Decide to slow down and enjoy human, face-to-face people interaction, outdoor activities or, leisurely meals with your family or friends. Take time to renew, recharge, and shift your pace. One of my favorite posts, "The Elegance of Slow" by DeeAnne White, is a wonderful reflection about the benefits of indulging in non-tech, leisurely time.

I’d love to hear about your digital overwhelm challenges and solutions. What have your noticed? If you're curious, ask me my "ding management" experiment. Come join the conversation.