Nest: Day 26
March 26, 2011 
2 Comments
Day 26
Mail tips.
Who, me?
There are four kinds of mail that often lead to procrastination.
1. Email that requires a response or a decision.
2. Spam that gunks up your inbox.
3. Junk mail that clogs up your mailbox.
4. Bills that require you to part with the money you really wanted to spend on chocolate truffles.
Here are a few ways to improve your mail processing. (Note: this Nest step has just been added after I received a few requests. I’ll update it, list great resources, and add links in later months.)
DUMP!
–Empty spam daily.
–Unsubscribe from advertisements, email forums, and anything else that no longer serves you (including habithacker emails if they start to fall into that category).
–Sort junk mail right over your garbage can. Throw away (without opening) what you don’t need to shred.
–Get thyself off direct mail and catalog lists.
–Cut back on magazine subscriptions while you’re at it (and get on your state’s DO NOT CALL list).
DESIGNATE!
–If you don’t do this already, do it today: designate one place and one place only to keep your unpaid bills. Either pay bills the day they come in or choose a specific day of the week to clear out your bill box. Free-your mind Fridays could be Financial Fridays, for instance.
–Autopay as many bills as possible. It’s a relief to have less paperwork.
–Most email programs give you the ability to create folders to categorize what comes to your digital inbox. I keep a folder for receipts, for example, and then clear it out occasionally. Make a folder for emails you need to answer soon, and set a day to deal with them.
–Consolidate your various email accounts or have all accounts forwarded to one place so you’re not checking multiple emails. Gmail, which is free, has become a standard.
–Getting to “inbox zero” is like a religion to many gurus of the productivity world. If you can manage this, do. But don’t feel guilty if you can’t empty your email inbox every day.
And finally, don’t procrastinate, just…
DO!
Morning routine:
Obey your BOP.
Do your do.
Polish your place.
Take five (an 8 minute break every half hour).
Shovel your shitspot.
*Your personal additions here: ____.*
*Your personal additions here: ____.*
D-Day every day…or at least on WeDnesday.
(If it’s the Ides, do whatcha want.)
Add 3H (Half-assed housekeeping hour) to Mondays.
Beat your bête noire on Terrible Tuesdays.
Free your mind on Fridays.
Add P4 (it comes after #1 & #2) a few times a week.
Thursdays: Chase and Drive Decon 11
Evening routine:
Polish your place.
Decide on duds.
Nest Month 1
What to do so far:
In case you missed a day, the reminders below are clickable.
Polish your place twice every day.
Do your do.
Be regular and orderly with your keys.
Take an eight minute break every half hour.
Shovel your shitspot every day.
Decide on duds the night before.
Put your Brain on Paper. BOP.
Obey your BOP.
Get your zen on.
Use your timer for 11 minute timed tasks.
Do D-Days as often as possible, but always on every WeDnesday.
Use music to enliven work at home.
On the Ides, I’d rather be _______.
Ride your routines.
Add 3H, Half-assed Housekeeping Hour, to your Mondays.
Beat your bête noire on Terrible Tuesdays.
Customize habithacking to fit your needs.
Good enough is plenty good.
Add Creative Sundays to your routine.
Change your space to reflect who you are.
Add a day for a braindump: Free-your-mind Fridays.
Add P4 (it comes after #1 & #2)
If you’ve got drive, Chase on Thursdays and Drive Decon 11.
Rework the way you deal with mail.
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