How to get your e-mails organized

"Clean up forever" is the motto of Jürgen Kurz, born in 1965. He advises companies on the subject of "cleaning up". He also writes books on the subject. New is "cleaned up forever - even digital", Gabal-Verlag, 128 pages, 19.90 euros.

Mr. Kurz, how many emails are in your inbox? Jürgen Kurz: So few that I can capture them with one look. Seriously, emails have revolutionized and optimized our communications many years ago. But now they have become a time-waster and motivational predator. It is not the e-mail itself, but the ineffective way of dealing with it. Often the inbox is abused as a to-do list.

How do you remedy this?

As with the organization of tangible documents, some tricks help to get the upper hand in the inbox again. If an email is just spotted instead of being processed, it stays in the Inbox. The result: The Inbox? Clogged ?. The subsequent look at e-mails in the inbox, which have already been opened but not yet processed, can create stress. Processing is a strategy that can keep your inbox consistently slim or empty. There are five steps to processing: deleting, forwarding, archiving, editing or scheduling. If you go with each e-mail one of these steps, you get an overview and keeps a cool head.

Is there a way to sort emails in advance?

Yes. Most programs have a Rules Wizard. So you can, for example Let the newsletter flow into a separate folder. This lowers the crowd in the inbox a bit and the stress is reduced. Because like a free desk, a clear inbox gives a good feeling. If you have numerous newsletters sent to you or participate in discussion forums, it is best to create a second e-mail address. Under gmx.de or web.de you can do this for free. Your main address will then be spared from the often resulting advertising emails.

Which situations typically have a particularly overwhelming effect on us?

Often it is the days after the holiday. It helps to agree with a colleague before he sifts through the mailbox so that we already have some structure when we come back. Or you give yourself a day on which you only edit the inbox and notify the business partners one day later. So you can slowly get back in and get an overview of the tasks.

And in everyday life?

E-mails are a source of stress in everyday life. We constantly check the entrance or are distracted by a beep. Disabling audio and visual e-mail reception signals takes the pressure off things and helps keep us from being constantly interrupted. This also applies to mobile devices, tablets and smartphones. It is also helpful to process e-mails in blocks several times a day. This way, time slots are set in which the emails can be edited after one of the five steps. By the way: If you send an e-mail, usually new e-mails will be picked up. But new mails mean new distractions. Set the program to pick up new emails only if you really want to. So you can work undisturbed and concentrate better on the current task. In addition, you can completely empty the inbox without running the risk of being distracted by new mails. Proactive work releases forces - whoever reacts only gets sick in the worst case.

Which challenges do laptop and co. Bring with them? Of course, unstructured files. No matter if small team or big department? Seek times rob valuable time. Filing structures have evolved over time in many companies and have continued to grow. Everyone stores the documents to the best of their knowledge and belief, where this seems the most logical. But what one employee thinks is logical, the next does not have to understand or make sense for a long time. Over the years, this results in duplicate filing systems and subfolders that raise more questions than help. The data chaos is preprogrammed. It's no secret that documents have to be neatly named. The freestyle is then to use a uniform structure, to formulate fixed rules of the game and to obey them.

Sounds easy ...

But it is not. Theory and practice are two different worlds. Last year we conducted a study on work efficiency in cooperation with the AKAD Hochschule in Leipzig. In addition to the use and impact of communication tools on everyday work, we have also focused our attention on the combination of order and productivity. Our study result has clearly shown that they are directly related. No matter if it's about the inbox folder or the digital document filing.