Dot Connector Blog

If you work in an environment where multiple projects are being worked on at the same time, you will often be a part of making decisions about what projects should be worked on, and which ones will have to wait.

In discussions with your team members and project teams, you will often get asked “is this particular task/project a priority?” Since you only do work that matters, of course it’s a priority! But be careful, there’s something you should always remember:

Priority is a relative term!

And because of that, you should always answer that question with another question:

Is this (task, project, etc.) a priority in relation to what?

That should be your answer! Then, you can have a productive conversation about benefits and trade-offs. Far too often, if you answer “yes” or “no” to the priority question, you don’t really deal with the issue at hand, which is basically: what do we work on, and what do we stop work on?

Try looking at things this way, and see if it works for you!

In Part I of this topic, we discussed some resolutions you have to make before embarking on a plan to take control of your email. We also talked about the fundamental ways to organize your view of your inbox, and the folders to use for processing and storing email.

In Part II of this topic, we covered how to manage your new email organization system, including tips and tricks for dedicating time to work your new system.

For Part III, the final installment in this series, we will cover tips and tricks for Microsoft Outlook that will help you speed up processing of email in your new system.

Setup Special Rules for Your New System

• As you probably know, rules in Outlook can be a powerful way to help you save time and process your email more efficiently.
• I do not recommend creating rules until you have worked the system for a couple of weeks. I know that may seem labor-intensive, but it will give you a great feel for what types of email you actually get. This is just like keeping track of every place you spend money when you are trying to create a budget!
• After a couple of weeks, it’s time to create some rules, so when you are spending your dedicated time processing your inbox, you don’t have a lot of “clutter” to deal with.
  • I recommend setting up a folder within your “Archive” called “Alerts/Subscriptions” or something similar. Then, create a rule to send any “alerts,” “automated responses,” and email newsletters to that folder.
  • That way, you have control over when you review those types of messages, and they are not in the way when you are working your system.
  • Of course, if you get critical alerts that you must see the second they come into your inbox, do not create a rule for them.

Flag Emails Based on Priority

• In a previous post, I discussed a simple, but very effective technique for determining priorities on a daily basis. I use this prioritization system for to dos, callbacks, as well as email
• Using Microsoft Outlook rules, you can “flag” emails with a colored flag. Since some emails are more important than others, this coloring technique dramatically helps you when working your email system.
• Here’s how I color my emails, based on the priorities I’ve previously outlined:
  • PRIORITY #1: Your Crew – Green flag: emails from my Crew appear with a green flag in my inbox
  • PRIORITY#2: Your Clients – Red flag: emails from my Clients appear with a red flag in my inbox
  • PRIORITY#3: Your Company – No colored flag: this allows me to focus on my “flagged email” first, and then my non-flagged, lower priority, email next

I hope these tips help you speed up the time it takes you to process your email. Good luck, and here’s to the freedom of an empty inbox!

I have a very simple, but very effective technique for determining priorities on a daily basis. This “philosophy” has been tested over 7 years in a variety of projects and 3 different companies. It’s especially useful if you manage multiple projects and have to juggle multiple priorities.

Here it is! Just group all of your “to-dos” this way, and you’ll always do things in the “right” order:

PRIORITY #1: Your Crew

(Examples: people who report to you, members of a project team you rely on, etc.)

Always, ALWAYS tend to Your Crew first. Leadership is about serving the team you lead. Project Management (at any level, and who DOESN’T manage projects?) is about leadership. Your Crew takes care of you, so you should always take care of them first. No matter what.

PRIORITY#2: Your Clients

(Examples: your actual clients if you are a consultant, the executive who sponsored a project you are doing, the people who use your website, etc.)

I see common “wisdom” practiced every day where project managers serve their Clients first, then their Crew. This makes no sense to me. Here’s why: if you serve your Crew first, they’ll help you serve your Clients in ways you didn’t even imagine! Plus, they’ll have your back whenever times get tough with your Clients (and they will), because your Crew knows you’ve got their back (and best interests) in mind.

PRIORITY#3: Your Company

(Examples: a request from the HR team to do some mandatory training, filing your invoices for payment by your Accounting team, etc.)

You’d be surprise at how long you can push off “mandatory” company stuff that bogs you down. It’s especially useful to report to someone who can take care of these things, or at least buy you time. Now, I know this might be an unpopular one (“But Regis, I want to be a team player”), but think about it: if you’re not doing #1 and #2 first, there is no need for an HR team or Accounting team. #1 and #2 grow your business and support all of those other “company” things. If you’re leading the way for your Crew and your Clients, everything else becomes secondary.

Next Steps

1. Sit down and look across your to-do list.
2. Who is YOUR Crew? Who are YOUR Clients? What Company stuff is on there?
3. Reprioritize using this new method you just learned, and reap the rewards!