The Email Wars

Amazon’s Jeff Barr has admitted to being one of those folks with too many unanswered email messages piled up. But unlike some, he didn’t declare email bankruptcy. Instead, he’s worked out a systematic plan for getting out of trouble:

- Don’t get further behind
- Set aside time to work on the backlog
- Track your progress

What makes this method work - with email or any other giant backlog you’re trying to clear up - is the tracking. If you actually get the daily numbers down where you can see them, it becomes impossible to fool yourself about whether you’re making progress - and you get additional motivation to get to zero.

Try it yourself if you’re in a similar situation!