Most of us have tweaked our approach to our e-mail inbox in recent years. But what about the inbox on your desk?
On his blog, Thomas Nelson Publishers chief executive officer Michael Hyatt shares his approach, which involves having his assistant placing everything he should see in one of five colour-coded folders:
Red folder: This is for anything that is "hot" and requires his immediate attention. Mr. Hyatt doesn't see this folder much, because urgent stuff tends to come in through the phone, e-mail or instant message.
Green folder: This is for anything that requires his signature for approval. It includes contracts, expense reports, invoices and the like.
Blue folder: This is for general, non-urgent correspondence, such as thank you notes, letters and résumés.
Yellow folder: This is for non-urgent reading material. It includes reports, catalogues and brochures. He says he often takes this folder when he travels, reading it on the plane until the in-flight wireless becomes available.
Grey folder: This is for meetings. There's one for each meeting, with the agenda and any background info.