How green was my inbox

I was reading a blog by a very accomplished US web designer Jennifer Poyer about working from home, prioritising project items, juggling a lot of different tasks on one screen and balancing work and family life.

Made me think. All pretty normal stuff, really. Most administrative staff, management and knowledge-workers do the same every day.

But how many of us have ever had proper training in information and work flow management and personal organisation directed at the way we use our time and desktop space?

Comparatively few, I venture.

If you can remember back to your first day at the office with e-mail, how were you trained?

I remember a hassled tech guy showing me how to log in, where my inbox was, how to find people in the address book, and reminding me to hit 'send' when done. Took all of 3 minutes, tops.

No wonder so many knowledge workers feel disorganised. One CEO I know estimates every one of his staff lose 5-8 hours every week through 'e-mail overload', because they can't manage their information, calendar and tasks properly .

There is a better way. Watch this space, it's coming soon.