Getting to Inbox Zero

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Is Inbox Zero possible? Sounds like flying unicorns to me.  I’ve often heard Curt Rees talk about getting to Inbox Zero and even though I accomplished it a few times (literally only a few!).  After Curt join us on the PrincipalPLN podcast he helped me understand how and why to get to Inbox Zero.  He also convinced me that it is not productive or healthy to have my work email on my personal phone and I “ripped the bandaid off” right in the middle of the podcast, taking it off of my phone.  It’s been one week since we recorded this podcast and I achieved Inbox Zero 3 days (and I know I’ll get back to it by Monday) and I felt way more productive with my time, getting into classrooms and having conversations with staff.  I also enjoyed ongoing conversation about this topic in the PrincipalPLN Voxer group and could completely relate when Tia Henriksen said, “Flying unicorns exist!!! Who Knew?”

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Here are the shownotes from PrincipalPLN.com:

#PrincipalPLN Episode 47: Conquering Email with Curt Rees

In this episode we are joined by Curt Rees, Elementary Principal and Recess Kickball legend in Onalaska,Wisconsin. Curt’s school is recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as a model school for their implementation of Response to Intervention.  Curt is also a current doctoral student at UKSTL. You can find Curt online at @CurtRees and http://curtrees.com/ Curt is also mentioned in chapter 4 of Spike’s book, Connected Leadership.

Some of Curt’s Email Wisdom:

Don’t sit down and browse email. Sit down and “crank” through them when you’re ready to work on them. Don’t touch an email more than once. Decide on your action for it once you read it. If it takes more than 2 minutes to respond, he sends it to his to-do app (OmniFocus) to schedule when to work on it. Don’t let a read email sit in your inbox, schedule it and get it out of your inbox!
Curt recommends not having work email on your phone and was so convincing that Jessica “ripped the bandaid” off and took work email off of her phone while listening to Curt explain why.  Can you do it?
Curt’s Top 5 Tips:
  1. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen (or anything by David Allen)
  1. Have a system: this is beyond just email, to keep track of what you’re going to do and when
  1. Don’t let email dictate how you’re going to spend your time. Our jobs are busy enough!  Make yourself available in other ways.
  2. Don’t let your email inbox be your to-do list!
  3. Don’t clutter up anyone else’s email inbox. Recognize when you need to go and talk instead of sending an email.
Other resources/thoughts on email…
Jessica’s blog post: The Email Monster

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Santos

    I appreciate all the helpful tips. My inbox is something I must conquer! I’ve finally managed to stop using it as my to do list. And, I definitely agree about not having work email on your phone.

  2. Vickie Echols

    Thanks! This is encouraging that it can actually be done! I’m growing into it and your suggestions and strategies are very helpful. I also agree – learning from David Allen is a good idea!

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