To-Do Lists and E-Mail

At first glance, they may seem unrelated, but To-Do Lists can greatly reduce your inbox clutter. Often times the reason an E-Mail is lingering in your inbox is because there is an action required in order to process it. Instead of leaving it in your inbox, and using the inbox as a de facto to-do list, make a note of the task required by the E-Mail in your to-do list, notebook, planner or whatever you use. The aim is to get the task out of your inbox. Make a reference to the E-Mail if necessary. Then archive the E-Mail and be done with it. This will get rid of a lot of E-Mail in your inbox very quickly. You still have to do the task, but at least it’s now on a legitimate to-do list and not keeping your inbox full.