Mastering Productivity: How Prioritizing Important Emails Over Quantity Can Actually Boost Your Efficiency

Mastering Productivity: How Prioritizing Important Emails Over Quantity Can Actually Boost Your Efficiency by Michael Hoffman It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being productive means getting a lot of email done. Many of us spend hours every day responding to emails, sorting through our inbox, and sending out quick replies just […]
The Power of Inbox Zero: 7 Reasons Why it Matters and 5 Consequences of Not Achieving it

The Power of Inbox Zero:7 Reasons Why it Matters and 5 Consequences of Not Achieving itBy Michael Hoffman Getting to inbox zero every day is more than just a simple email management task; it has several psychological benefits that can greatly improve your overall well-being and productivity. By reaching inbox zero every day, you […]
Why Meta tagging Emails Using Categories Beats Filing Them Away in Folders Any Day

Why Meta tagging Emails Beats Filing Them Away in Folders Any Day by Michael Hoffman Meta tagging emails, or using labels and tags to categorize and organize messages, can be more effective than filing them away in folders for several reasons: Increased flexibility: Meta tagging allows you to assign multiple labels and tags to a single […]
LeanMail Isn’t Just For High Volume Emailers

LeanMail Isn’t Just For High Volume Emailers by Michael Hoffman LeanMail is a highly efficient email management method designed to streamline your inbox and increase productivity, regardless of the volume of emails you receive. While many email management systems are geared towards individuals with high email volumes, LeanMail offers numerous benefits even for those who receive […]
You Have Been Suspended As Of Today’s Date

You Have Been Suspended As Of Today’s Date by Michael Hoffman Imagine receiving an email from the board of directors or from your boss, telling you that you have been suspended and that the suspension is likely to take weeks before the investigation (investigation!?) has been completed. This happened to a client of mine, who, […]
Managing Emails (in Outlook) Is Simple — Once You Understand Three Things

Managing Emails (in Outlook) Is Simple — Once You Understand Three Things by Michael Hoffman For many, managing an inbox is an agonizing Sisyphean task – or at least unpleasant and inefficient. But really, it’s quite simple, and can be enormously efficient if you embrace three important concepts. Before we get to those concepts, however, let’s […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]