Small changes can add up to big improvements in your productivity.  Today, we’ll focus on getting your Inbox ready for a higher level of productivity.

Does “Inbox Zero” sounds like a fantasy to you?  Does your inbox have e-mail from months and years ago?  How many new e-mails do you have every time you check? 25? 50?  Does your phone constantly vibrate like it’s going to explode?  Does you computer constantly beep for every new email?  Are you missing life because your face is in your iPhone or Blackberry?

It’s time to change your approach to email.

First, turn off all notifications, vibration, beeps, dings, and any other indication.  The distraction is impairing your productivity, annoying everyone around you and making you a slave to email.

(While you’re doing that, turn off all unnecessary app notifications on your phone.  It’s driving the people around you nuts when your phone is constantly ringing and buzzing.)

Next, click unsubscribe on every newsletter, update, and promo that you don’t need. Be ruthless, especially with the one that you think you will read “someday”!

Don’t use your email as your to-do list (it’s not prioritised and tagged with due dates or scheduled).  File every email that is more than a day old.  Every single one.  You can still search for emails you need.  Dump the all in an “archive” folder, don’t sort them out.

Now, you’re ready to deal with your emails every day… but you’ll just have to wait for the next post to hear about that.

Tim