Dealing with the Pile of Email

As so often happens, when I got back from vacation I had a pile of email clogging my inbox. I thought that it would be a good idea to share some advice on how to deal with this backlog that is inevitably waiting for us when we return to work. I have become a master of dealing with such situations. Are you ready for this sage advice? Can you handle it? Here you go:

Throw it all out without reading it.

What? I can't be serious can I? I'm deadly serious.

It works because it functions under one important principle: If something is REALLY important, somebody else has kept a copy of it. I learned this lesson from one of the first bosses that I worked for who would routinely throw things out without reading them. When I asked him why did this, he explained: "If it's really important, it will show back up on my desk." . People keep copies of important documents/emails. Don't be a pack rat; let somebody else be a pack rat.

Is this a perfect system? No. It typically fails when you have a boss that likes to make unilateral decisions without your input. You know, when somebody sends out an email (copying you) asking your boss to make a decision on something where they SHOULD wait for your input, but choose not to do so.

So - as with many systems - it's only perfect in a perfect world . . . and we all know that the world isn't perfect. So use the advice at your own risk. Personally, I have my email setup so that my VIP's show up highlighted when the come to my inbox and truthfully, I read the VIP email and then toss the rest.

Hopefully this advice lightens your workload at least a little, or at least helps you cope with the fear of returning from vacation.

Your Country, Your Call

Here is another reason that I like Ireland: YourCountryYourCall.com. The economy isn't doing so well over here. Yes, some people are crying in their Guinness, however, I love the government's response: Somebody give us an idea.

The competition asks you (the common man) ". . . to share your creativity to give life to new industry, revitalise or revolutionise an existing market, or even change the way we do business entirely." The goal of the program is to "pick two truly transformational proposals so big that, when implemented, could secure prosperity and jobs for Ireland."

The competition is open to anybody from any country. Two winning entries will be chosen to win 100,000 Euro each. So get those pens moving and check out the site. I just gave you a chance to win 100,000 Euro. Don't say that I've never done anything for you. Wait, that's a double negative. Say I've done something for you.

Here's another question for the peanut gallery: Do you think that the US would ever do something like this? Or do we already sponsor programs like this in the form of grants?