source: www.tassc.org

On the PrincipalPLN we recorded today, I had epiphany…. Email has been sucking my productivity away (and its probably happening to you as well). Let’s be honest, connected educators really don’t talk about email too much. Yet almost everyone is processing thousands of emails a month at work, home, and on the go.

I won’t go too far into the podcast (it will be posted sometime next week on PrincipalPLN). All I can say is that it changed the way I will approach email.

Here are a few things that I will be changing immediately:

• I am going to read David Allen’s Getting Things Done
• I am disabling my work email from my iPhone – Email is something that should take 20 – 30 minutes to process/read/determine what to do next. This can’t be accomplished with the swipe of a thumb (not unless you want to do it correctly)
• Be cognizant of the emails I send – If they are more than a few sentences, do I really need to send it or should I use another mode of communication such as a phone call or actually face to face. Here is one of Curt’s suggestions five.sentenc.es
• Setting specific times (making sure it is at least 20 to 30 minutes) while at work to process email
• Not going to let my “inbox” become my “to do” box – I need to develop a system that involves my calendar and a system for organizing
• Let the world know that I am at “#zeroinbox” so my friends can send me emails 🙂