7 Reasons to Keep the Inbox Empty – Part 5

#5: Avoids procrastination and indecision

Today’s blog post is the fifth in a series of 7 Reasons to Keep the Inbox Empty.

A cluttered in-box leads results from (and also leads to) a lack of decision-making and causes procrastination. When faced with an overwhelming number of decisions to make (eg: an overloaded inbox), we tend to procrastinate and make no decision at all. 

We need to learn to make a decision the first (and only time) we look at an e-mail. Once you realise that there ever only ever one of four possible decisions needed for each new message, it becomes much easier to make a decision and action the e-mail, moving it out of the in-box. 

Otherwise, the weight of ‘unfinished’ business hanging over your head creates a mental drain and you carry this sub-conscious, psychological baggage around, slowing you down in other areas of work, especially when you need to think deeply or be creative. 

Your time is too valuable to waste on procrastination!