Five Things To Know When Buying Productivity Software
Five things to know when buying productivity software by Michael Hoffman If you have ever bought a diamond ring, you probably know about the 4C’s of diamonds: cut, color, clarity, and carats. It’s also fine if you don’t. Maybe the size of the diamond was the main thing you cared about because, let’s face it, it’s […]
Remember Those Days of Hour-Long Meetings
Remember Those Days of Hour-Long Meetings by Michael Hoffman Remember those days of back-to-back hour-long meetings? Well, they’re gone, and they won’t be coming back— I mean ever. I’m not saying that we won’t have an occasional 60-minute meeting, but videoconferencing is changing more than where we meet; it’s also changing for how long we meet. […]
Microsoft Focus (was clutter) VS Inbox480
Microsoft Focus (was cluttered) VS Inbox480 by Michael Hoffman Do you receive a lot of non-core business email that you don’t consider spam? Email that falls into the gray space of not very important, but you want to keep anyway. Then Inbox480 is for you. It’s similar to Focus, but also quite different in that it gives you […]
Is Cutting Your Training and Development Budget Your Best Bet In Uncertain Times?
Is Cutting Your Training and Development Budget Your Best Bet In Uncertain Times? by Michael Hoffman One thing is certain these days, and that is: nothing is certain. Yes. I apologize for the cliché, but this is how most of are feeling, so why not be out with it? With all the amazing technology we have for […]
Should Inbox Zero Be Your Goal? Probably Not.
Should Inbox Zero Be Your Goal? Probably Not. by Michael Hoffman Most of the blogs I read about being more productive with email focus on reaching inbox zero. No doubt, it’s a worthy cause, but is it the correct objective for you? Probably not. Most people struggle with keeping their head above water, never mind capturing […]
Come Back In Six Weeks – My Designer Glasses Story
Come Back In Six Weeks – My Designer Glasses Story by Michael Hoffman It was time for new glasses. My girlfriend, at the time, insisted. So that weekend we sauntered into the Synoptic store on Strandvejen in swanky Hellerup to buy some cutting edge spectacles from Steen, the sophisticated salesman there. The chosen pair turned out […]
Sending The Snow
Sending the snow by Michael Hoffman I can imagine being on the other end of being asked to send in the “snow” – your empty inbox at the end of the day with 0 to prioritize, 0 to plan and 0 Today. On first glance, this request may seem a bit over the top. I get […]
Outlook Tip #1
Outlook Tip #1 by Michael Hoffman 3 things you can do with an email that not everyone knows about: 1) Create a calendar eventDrag the email to your calendar icon in the lower left-hand side of Outlook. This will allow you to block out time to execute the task in the email. Use this when an […]
Stop planning 60-minute meetings
Stop planning 60-minute meetings by Michael Hoffman If it isn’t obvious yet, 60-minute meetings are not very practical. The problem is that we can’t go from one 60-minute meeting to another without a break to enter notes and physically get to the other meeting. (Much better to do right after the meeting than hours or even days […]
How to write Next Actions that create impact
How To Write Next Actions That Create Impact by Michael Hoffman Probably the biggest challenge novice LeanMailers face is writing proper Next Actions (NAs) that make an impact on your brain. When your NAs are generic, your brain struggles to remember what the NAs pertained to. The result, then, is an increase in time-spend, not a decrease — without any […]
How 5S Is Applied In LeanMail
How 5S Is Applied In LeanMail by Michael Hoffman 1. Sort: In the Prioritize view, Delete, Archive, assign High or Normal priority. Do this quickly like dealing playing cards. Answer mails that take less than 10 seconds. When you are finished sorting, your view will change to Plan. 2. Straighten: Now that the waste is removed, non-actionable emails are archived, and […]
The Art of Categorizing in LeanMail
The Art of Categorizing in LeanMail by Michael Hoffman Sneak Peek – InstantArchive Categorization When we categorize emails, we are doing so in order to be able to locate them quickly and easily. Beginning with that end in mind, since all your mails will be placed in one folder, we should not be thinking in hierarchies […]
