Yes, 1,000 emails a day. 30,000 emails a month.
At the heart of our operations is the DDD principle, which stands for Do, Delegate, and Delete. This isn’t just my mantra; it’s a method we’ve woven into the fabric of our entire company, alongside our 9 Triangles Framework.
The ‘Do, Delegate, and Delete’ trio forms our cornerstone of personal efficiency. I archive (delete) most items right away. Delegate is when I pass the email off to someone else because they’ve made a mistake, I need to nudge them, or they’ve lost track. This happens often with young adults in our company.
The 5th triangle in the 9 Triangles Framework is Do, Delegate, Delete or Personal Efficiency
Having to do it yourself is the most expensive part because now you are putting in your own time. There are some of things you can’t avoid but the more you can delegate or delete, the more efficiency you are able to get.
For team leaders, I recommend the #CID strategy: Communicate, Iterate, Delegate. This is similar to #DDD. Communicating involves brief, regular updates to ensure everyone is aligned and informed. Iterate is when you have to do the task yourself- which should be rare. Delegate is passing it off to someone else because you have a process around the task that they can follow.
Having a process and checklist makes things easier to delegate and saves everyone time. Without a process, you run into a lot more questions and unfinished tasks, or the task will be done wrong.
I go through my email twice a day: mid-day, and at night. During the day, I’ll use the Gmail app to process quick replies, delegate out urgent items or handle some myself, so I don’t have to address twice or remember.
Handle things quickly without hurrying or rushing. Be quick, but don’t rush, there is a difference.
You are trying to be proactive, not reactive. The more of a leader you are, the more important it is to have time that you can actually plan.
You should never allow your inbox across Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, or Twitter to overwhelm you. It should never take more than half your time.
I run everything through a single inbox, since having multiple inboxes via Facebook chat, LinkedIn chat, text, Basecamp, and other systems just creates more clutter.
I archive most of my emails right away because they are automated emails I get daily.
I do everything I can to save time such as using Boomerang, changing settings to advance forward to the next email after I click archive, and delegating.
Boomerang is a highly effective tool for managing emails using the “Do, Delegate, and Delete” approach
I avoid using folders or starring emails, instead adhering to the GTD (Getting Things Done) method to ensure tasks are completed efficiently on the first attempt. Then I know that I don’t have to go back and reread it. If I have to go back, I can always search for it.
Boomerang is my favorite product, it’s $10/month. I use this when delegating tasks from emails out to our people. I can Boomerang the email to come back in a certain amount of time to make sure the task got done.
Set Boomerangs to only come back if there is no response.
When you Boomerang an email, it is archived and returns to your inbox after the number of days you specified
When you Boomerang an email, it is archived and returns to your inbox after the number of days you specified — if there is no response. This way, you don’t have to worry about remembering to follow up.
I always set the Boomerang for twice as long as the due date. This prevents me from receiving follow-up emails prematurely.
For example, if a task is due in two days, I schedule the Boomerang for four days. Ideally, I get the email back before then, meaning it was handled on time. If too many emails are Boomeranging back, it’s a sign that something is wrong.
Only use boomerang if you have to. If you can get something done right away, then do it. Always practice GTD first, unless you are delegating it out.
We get to Inbox Zero at least once a day, a commitment I’ve taken the time to demonstrate through another video here:
You have to become a pro at Gmail to fully maximize your productivity.
Unless you are only getting a few emails a day, you won’t be able to get through your emails if you don’t know how to manage your inbox. For example, look at the following screenshot.
Notice the number of unread emails as well as the total number of emails in this inbox. The metric here that is more worrisome is the 1,719 messages in the inbox, which should be zero.
When you fail to manage your emails, like in the example above, you might think that it is okay to use filters like “label:unread” to look at unread emails and respond to them. Searching for unread messages violates Inbox Zero and even puts you further behind, ironically. People who fall behind are also tempted to want to cherry pick emails for seemingly good reasons.
We always have an internal thread for iterating on projects. This way we are not iterating through email where things can get lost in a hurry.
I ensure that dealing with each email I open takes only between 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
If there’s anything that takes more than 15 min, you have to wonder if it is something you really should be doing. Think to yourself, “Am I doing things efficiently”.
If a specific email thread has good velocity then you know that project is doing well. If there are gaps of more than 3 days then you know there is a lack of communication, momentum, and production. Then I end up having to chase people.
Don’t try to use a bunch of folders to sort emails – it won’t work. I don’t know anyone who has had long-term success using folders.
This screenshot is from the free Email Meter tool, which helps me analyze my email efficiency. It provides insights to help you gauge how well you’re managing your emails.
When you handle tasks efficiently, you don’t waste time opening emails multiple times, closing them, or sorting them into folders, labels, or notes without action.
Handle each email in one go. If you’re going to read it, read it and take action immediately. Don’t fall into the common trap of assuming you’ll have more time tomorrow — because you won’t.
