Maximize Your Productivity by Taking Control of Information Overload

Transcription

1 Maximize Your Productivity by Taking Control of Information Overload 2011 Nonprofit Leadership Conference June 14, 2011 Introduction Leaders today are drowning in information! Today s technology allows us to create content faster than ever and distribute it to an unlimited number of people. We have more and more information, with less time to absorb and process it, generate ideas, or prioritize and complete tasks. Information overload challenges our decision making and diminishes productivity both our own and our staff s. This problem of having access to too much information is not going to go away, but there are practical strategies you can implement to manage information. By adopting new habits and using technology to filter information, you can focus on the information most relevant to your work instead of letting every piece of incoming information consume time and mental energy. Strategies for Managing Information Focus your time and attention on what s most important. Let s face it multitasking doesn t work! Instead of living in your inbox, schedule focused time every day to process your , and do so according to your strategic priorities. Use the tools in your program to group related messages by project and priorities rather than simply dealing with s one by one in the order received. Some common features include: Conversation View/Mode/Arrangement Groups all messages that share the same subject line into conversations that can be viewed expanded or collapsed. Folders Mail folders allow you to sort and store without having to leave them in your inbox. You can give each core project or initiative its own folder. Rules/Filters A rule is simply an action taken automatically on an arriving or sent message that meets the conditions that you specify in the rule. For example, you can set a rule for all messages from a certain address or with a particular word in the subject line to automatically move to a folder. Categories/Labels Color categories or labels can be assigned to e mail messages, enabling you to quickly identify them and associate them with related items. Flags/Stars Flagging a message, meeting request, contact or post adds a flag icon to it. Use flags to remind yourself to follow up on an issue or to indicate a request for someone else. Presented 6/14/11 by Catalyst Consulting Group, LLC and Achieve Services, Inc. Page 1 of 6

2 Stop letting technology interrupt you! Try spending parts of the day disconnected from your phone and other technology so you can concentrate on priority tasks. Check when you decide instead of letting your defaults dictate how often you receive messages and how and when you are alerted about new mail. You can change the settings in your to minimize interruptions: Minimize Message Arrival Alerts Turn off or minimize distracting alerts of new messages, such as sounds and visual alerts. Set Your Own Send/Receive Schedule Change the auto check for new messages to occur only every hour or 30 minutes. You can click the send/receive icon to check for new messages if needed. Use only for what is best at. works well for changing factual information, not for in depth discussion or for sensitive issues. An in person or phone conversation may be needed for those situations. Also, there are effective, efficient alternatives to for tasks such as scheduling meetings and sharing and editing documents. Do you find yourself ing attachments back and forth to edit documents? Consider an online document sharing program such as GoogleDocs, SlideShare, Dropbox, or Huddle. If your software includes a scheduling/calendar tool, use it to set up meetings rather than playing ing tag to determine others availability. Online tools like Tungle, MeetingWizard, Doodle, or GoogleCalendar are great for scheduling meetings with people outside of your organization. Reduce the amount of you receive. You can start by sending fewer s; remember, what goes around, comes around! Make sure the s you send are relevant to the core issues of the organization, and don t copy people unnecessarily on s. Write clear s to prevent back and forth questions. Ask your direct reports to give you status updates on major project milestones rather than cc ing you every step of the way. You ll get less , and your staff will feel empowered. Unsubscribe from distribution lists that no longer fit your key goals. Don t just delete those newsletters that you no longer read. Click the unsubscribe link to stop receiving future issues. Change your social media settings to reduce the type and frequency of notifications. Instead of receiving an every time a LinkedIn or Facebook group posts an update, you can log in to view updates when you desire. Presented 6/14/11 by Catalyst Consulting Group, LLC and Achieve Services, Inc. Page 2 of 6

3 Technology Solutions Gmail LinkedIn Change notification settings: Move cursor over your name in the top right corner; click Settings. Settings > Preferences > Set the frequency of s Settings > Preferences > Set the frequency of group digest Facebook Change notification settings: Account > Account Settings > Notifications Conversation View. Gmail uses this as the default mode. Settings > Mail Settings > General Tab > Conversation View Filters Settings > Mail Settings > Filters Tab (here you can create new filters and manage existing ones) Labels Labels do the work of folders or categories. Settings > Mail Settings > Labels Tab > (here you can create and manage labels) Stars To star a message, click the star icon located to the left of the sender's name on a message. To access different star options: Settings > Mail Settings > General > Stars section Microsoft Outlook 2010 Conversation Mode View > Conversations > Show as Conversations Folder tab > New Folder > Create New Folder Home tab > Move group > Rules > Create Rule Categories Home tab > Tags group > Categorize > All Categories. Home tab > Tags group > Follow Up > All Categories. File > Options > Mail > Message Arrival > Display a desktop alert (uncheck); Play a sound (uncheck) File > Options > Advanced > Send and Receive > Send/Receive button. Presented 6/14/11 by Catalyst Consulting Group, LLC and Achieve Services, Inc. Page 3 of 6

4 Microsoft Outlook 2007 Conversation Arrangement View menu > Arrange by > Conversation File > New > Folder Mail > Tools menu > Rules & Alerts > New Rule Categories Toolbar > Categorize > All Categories > New > Add new category window. In an open message: Message tab > Options group > Categorize icon > Click a color category. In a message list (e.g. inbox): Right click message > Categorize > Click a color category. In an open message: Message tab > Options group > Follow up flag icon > Click a flag. In a message list (e.g. inbox): Right click message > Follow up > Click a flag. File > Options > Mail > Message Arrival > Display a desktop alert (uncheck); Play a sound (uncheck). File > Options > Advanced > Send and Receive > Send/Receive button. Microsoft Outlook 2003 File > New > Folder Mail > Tools menu > Rules & Alerts > New Rule Categories Edit > Categories > Master Category List > New category field. In a message list (e.g. inbox): Right click message > Categories > Click a category. In an open message: Click flag icon or Actions > Follow Up > Click flag In a message list (e.g. inbox): Right click message > Follow up > Click a flag. Tools > Options > Options > Advanced Options > When new items arrive in my Inbox > Play a sound (uncheck); Display a New Mail Desktop Alert (uncheck). Tools > Options > Mail Setup > Send/Receive > Send/Receive button > Schedule an automatic send/receive every minutes. Presented 6/14/11 by Catalyst Consulting Group, LLC and Achieve Services, Inc. Page 4 of 6

5 IBM Lotus Notes 8.5 Conversation Mode Mail > Show button with drop down menu > Conversations (check) Mail > Folder button with drop down menu (or Create menu, Folder) > Create New Folder Mail > More button with drop down menu (or Actions menu > More) > Mail Rules > New Rule Mail > Flag icon with drop down arrow > Add or Edit Flag; Quick Flag In a message list (e.g., inbox): Right click message > Quick Flag In an open message: Flag icon with drop down arrow > Quick Flag File > Preferences > Mail > Sending and Receiving > Display a popup alert (uncheck); Play a sound (uncheck) File > Preferences > Mail > Sending and Receiving > Check for new mail every minutes. Presented 6/14/11 by Catalyst Consulting Group, LLC and Achieve Services, Inc. Page 5 of 6

6 References & Resources Staying Focused Crenshaw, Dave. The Myth of Multitasking: How Doing It All Gets Nothing Done. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass, Medina, John. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. Seattle, WA: Pear Press, People OnTheGo. Tips on how to manage interruptions and stay focused on results. onthego.com/ Shirky, Clay. It s Not Information Overload, It s Filter Failure. Keynote address at Web 2.0 Expo NY, September Video retrieved on March 30, 2011 from expony clay shirky shirky com it s not information overload it s filter failure Tips & Tools Inbox Zero. Merlin Mann s series of posts about the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your inbox and then keep it that way. Microsoft Office resources. Find online training courses and support for Outlook and other MS Office software. Gmail tips. Document Sharing Tools Meeting Scheduling Tools Presented 6/14/11 by Catalyst Consulting Group, LLC and Achieve Services, Inc. Page 6 of 6