How the delete key is your best friend
Friday, June 30th, 2006
The Exchange/Outlook Product Manager for the UK, Allister Frost, has posted 
the “Best Outlook tip in the world” on his blog.
It’s not what you are thinking. He doesn’t recommend switching to Ubuntu.
Instead, he offers a long post in praise of the delete key, which works as well in Apple Mail as it does in Outlook.
His post shows you how to power through your Inbox, featuring,
- The Three Ds - Do, Defer, Delete, two
- Two questions - Is this email important to my objectives? Is it actionable?
- One result - more time for the things that matter.
He spices the whole mix with an anecdote that will strike fear into the hearts of email hoarders:
Back in the early 1990’s my boss would return to the office after a holiday and ceremoniously empty his (at this time paper-filled) in-tray into the bin. He was so right when he said “If it’s important, they’ll let me know.”
By deleting extraneous information and concentrating only on what is important to you and your personal objectives you can regain control over the email monster and achieve a happier and more fulfilling work-life balance.
You will be amazed, he says, how much of your email you can delete when you put your mind to it.
Tags: defer, delete, do, email, Inbox, Productivity, saving time, the delete key