How to Increase Your Work Productivity With This Simple Email System! (Gain Clarity And Focus)

[FredericoVilaVerde]

Hi guys,

Over the past months I was debating myself with a major
email productivity problem in my IM work. I was using one
single gmail work account to "manage it all".

Things like:

- Emails from friends
- Internet marketing emails (AKA gurus content)
- Outsourcing emails (RAC and other contacts)
- Bills emails (PPC bills, hosting bills, autoresponder bills, etc)
- Special Offers (AKA IM gurus offers)
- Etc!

=======================================
Problem: Too much email flooding inbox!
=======================================

As a result I was now suffering from a mix of:

1) Multi tasking problems (low span of attention in work related tasks)
2) General lack of FOCUS for continued sets of time (on work related stuff)
3) Some analysis/paralysis syndrome (or less actual work execution)

Then I finally got a wake up call!

My partner sent me this email productivity tip
and from a long time IMer! This is the article
my partner sent which is from Jimmy D Brown.

"Part of being productive is knowing what NOT to do.
What are 3 common activities that Internet Marketers engage
in that you recommend they minimize or not do at all?"

1. Looking at and then purchasing distracting offers.
2. Browsing forums, Google, etc. with no real purpose.
3. Taking the long way to do daily activities."

The full article is here in case you want to read it:
Jimmy D. Brown 3 Things That Are Killing Your Business

The lesson for me... evaluate what NOT to do!

================================================
How I've acted upon that article over the
past 15 days to increase my IM WORK productivity!
================================================

First of all, contrary to what many people say
I WANT and LIKE to receive product announcements
or offers in my email inbox from other marketers.

What I've concluded though was that my problem
was more in creating the RIGHT process that would:

a) Allow me to receive the email "guru offers"
b) And do not distract me from my WORK at the same time

Solution?

Simple! I now use 2 email address.

=================================
MAIN/WEEK EMAIL ADDRESS (Gmail #1)
=================================

In this my email address I only allow
myself to receive these emails.

- Friends emails
- Outsourcing/workers emails
- Bills/Management emails
- Customer lists (Emails from lists where I am a customer)
- REAL product related news (like software updates/upgrades
notices, etc... and only from the person who did produce
a given software, etc)

=================================
WEEKEND EMAIL ADDRESS (Gmail #2)
=================================

In this second gmail address I only
allow myself to receive these emails.

- Special Offers (AKA Guru Offers)
- Leads lists (Emails from lists
where I sign as a LEAD... like
when getting a free report)
- Other less relevant newsletters!

=======================================
The TRICKY Filter is... "Customer Lists".
=======================================

Let's face. There are many lists where
I am a customer and where the merchant
makes a promo offer here and there.

This does cause some distraction!

The way I address this in these cases
is simple. I evaluate the RELEVANCY and
FREQUENCY of the offers.

If I get too many offers I create a filter
to delete emails in GMAIL main/week account
and automatically forward them into GMAIL
weekend email account. DONE!

Problem solved!

=======================================
"We live in a democracy"
=======================================

Ok... one final point is I've seen a few
top marketers recommending that you unsubscribe
from all lists that provide you with "no value"
or just offers.

Honestly, I don't think that's the right
solution for everyone or the perfect solution
for most people.

For example, I like to purchase many IM
offers since the ROI I get in many of them
more than justifies the investment. So SOME
guru offer emails are a true GOD send!

Plus, you can only know what's the "flavour
of the week/month" by either checking receiving
emails from people who send you what? OFFERS!

Yes, you can check blogs, forums, twitter, etc.
But whether the merchant is making a mailing with
the sole purpose of "making a buck" or not... I
honestly don't care much... PROVEN the offer is
RELEVANT, USEFUL and INTERESTING... since I always
do as much as possible my own due diligence to
evaluate the offer in question later. I mean, don't
get me wrong... at the end of the day it's all about
using your own BRAIN POWER and filtering what's being
said... which can be TRUE... or NOT! (It is your job
to find the TRUTH, no matter what other people say!)

In other words, I don't buy just out of the email
recommendation itself. I buy based on the offer itself
versus where I want my business to go to. If both are
ALIGNED, then I might consider the offer (and affiliate
bonuses too if there are any). If not, then I simply
ignore the OFFER and continue with my biz! Simple!

NOTE: I am not saying with there's one ebook or software
you are missing on that is the solution for your business
that will make you an "overnight success". That's not how
things work! We all know "PRODUCT PILLS" have little value
unless you take action upon the "PILL" you buy today and
given the tools, knowledge and TEAM you already have.

Therefore, I think "we live in a democracy" (obvious
statement I know!) and it is NOT by eliminating those
"guru emails" where you only get offers that you can
do your business a good service.

Rather, it is by accurately FILTERING the relevancy
of them based on the WORK you are doing that you can
get a better process implemented and from a sole WORK
productivity point of view.

(Thanks for BIG pointer here Jimmy!)

Finally, I want to point out is that the solution
I've found myself may not be the solution other
people will want to carry out here. In other words,
this is not a "one size fits all" approach!

But I do think it can give you more CLARITY in
what you are currently doing and increase your
WORK productivity as a result.

With that said, if you want to test doing this
yourself, than follow this simple email system!

===============================================
How to implement the email SYSTEM
================================================

EMAIL SYSTEM GOAL: Read IM offers only when you have
the TIME for them... and not when you are WORKING!
(You control THEM... They do not control YOU!)

Okay... it's been now 15 days since I've began
implementing this system... and I've used 2 ways
or processes to do this:

Process #1: Change email in mailing lists directly!

You can simply use the "unsubscribe link" or "links"
at the end of each mailing list you subscribe... and
try to CHANGE the email address on file by updating
your contact info with your new WEEKEND email address.
(So you do not unsubscribe! You simply update the email
address fild to reflect the new email address data!)

Process #2: Create a filter in GMAIL directly!

Since some mailing lists do not allow you to change
the email address yourself (!) you'll have to create
some filters in gmail. Yes I am assuming you use this
email provider and if you use another kindly ignore this
next 2 paragraphs!

In gmail you can go to "SETTINGS" then click on:

- "FILTERS"

- "CREATE A NEW FILTER" and in the from field you
type the main email from person/guru/company that
you want to filter offers

- "NEXT STEP"

- "Skip the Inbox (Archive it)"

- "FORWARD IT TO" (type in weekend email address
you want to use)

- "Never send it to spam" + "CREATE FILTER".

NOTE: The only problem I've had so far is that I've used
100 filters in gmail and it seems my account does not allow
me to create more filters. (Damn it gmail!)

===============================================
Do you value more CONTENT... or OFFERS?
================================================

Now, this is where things get funny...

After 15 days I can see much better who I really
VALUE as a guru from:

a) A "CONTENT" point of view
b) Or from an "OFFERS" point of view!

And while I am sure many people may not like what
I will post next, since this is very subjective
("Who likes Who and Why")... here's my current
top list of "CONTENT" marketers received in my
WEEK gmail account, mostly around CONTENT related
stuff or major product news (BUT from the original
provider of software, system, ebook, etc!).

===============================================
The CONTENT/NEWS Gurus
===============================================

Okay... I've added a few basic comments on why I like
guru A, B or C... and just to make it clear... I've used
some "parameters" for this process, and the idea is that
you can later model you own parameters from this list
based on your own IM main areas of interest (CPA, SEO,
PPC, affiliate marketing, article marketing, etc):

#1- Michel Fortin (A real IM ambassador; blog is news driven;
BLOG posts are high quality; professional person; great copy writer;
copy writing is his specialization)

#2- Perry Marshall (A real advocate; very story telling; hates BS;
hates hype; works on SOLID business fundamentals; Pareto driven
person; analytical guy; Google AdWords is his specialization)

#3- Glenn Livingston (research; scientist; a real advocate; speaks
by experience; follows scientific rules; BS is out; similar to Perry
on many stuff; Research and AdWords are his specialization fields)

#4- Gauher Chaudhry (a content giver; always on top of the game; answers
emails personally in my personal experience; respects other peoples
opinions; only promotes quality products; CPA is his specialization)

#5 Paul Myers (very good content; great sense of humour; top clarity thinking;
no guru pitch fests; promotes good quality products; cares about people)

#6- Kirt Christensen (I am mostly onto PPC, so I love to listen what he has
to say in his conference calls about Google Adwords and the industry;
Google AdWords and lead generation are his specialization fields)

#7- Andre Chaperon (respectful affiliate marketer, great personality,
though provoking, a master of creating "connections", shares many tips
and is distinct in differentiation when pushing products to his list;
Affiliate marketing is his specialization)

#8- Mike - JVNotifyPro (being on this list is ENOUGH to know what major
IM products are going to be launched; major competitive advantage
to receive these emails to stay on top of the IM industry)

#9- Yaro Starak (professional blog; great articles and content; treats
people with respect; uses a newsletter/blog GIVING model; being a
BLOG publisher is his specialization)

Now, I could go on and on and mention other people like Marlon Sanders,
Jimmy D Brown, Jonathan Mizel, etc... that I also like. But I think this list
is enough as a sample in case you want to find some parameters you can use.

DISCLAIMER: I do now know any of these people in person. ANY! So I am
making this post of my own personal IM experience... since I have been
envolved in doing and/or studying online markeitng since 2002.

===============================================
The OFFERS Gurus
===============================================

Ok... For courtesy reasons I will not mention those
I have added into my "weekend sand box".

While I find many of these people to be relevant from an
OFFER point of view... I am sure many people here in the forum
here will perceive exposing the names here as having "less value"
or doing "guru bashing"... which is NOT the purpose of this post
at all. (Remember, I do like to receive certain IM OFFERS!)

With that said... here's how I evaluate the offers
or pitches emails I get around offers. I always ask
myself these set of questions:

a) I have I FULLY used the last product offer
where I have made a purchase? If not, then I better
FOCUS on what I already have and IGNORE the rest!
(Since when is MORE the solution for when you
always are having TOO MUCH? Be careful here!)

b) Is this product/offer going to move me forward
on where I want my business to go? (If yes, then
I might spend some time to consider the offer)

c) Is there a pre-launch? I LOVE pre-launches!
(The content allows me to evaluate an offer
without any "SELLING"... just good MARKETING.
This is where I allow distractions and may move
guru email from weekend to WEEK gmail account,
but be very SELECTIVE in doing this... so you do
not lose your focus!)

d) Is this product about selling you TACTICS
or STRATEGIES? (I personally prefer to invest
in strategies and not tactics, since both eat
your TIME and the ROI of strategies is usually
more profitable... yes, this varies on context,
market, etc... so this is just a general rule!)

d) Is this system ever-green? (I hate fads and black hat)

e) Does the merchant earn a commission? (I am
looking for a "yes" usually. What I look for next
is a REAL review... and also a bonus so I can see
what EXTRA value I can get with my purchasing decision.)

f) What are other people here in the Warrior Forum saying
about the product? (I use the "Internet Marketing Product
Reviews & Ratings" forum SPECIFICALLY!) If they are
saying good things... 9 TIMES out of 10 I will later
also have a good experience with the product in question.
And if I get a not I usually never even consider the product.
(This STEP is CRUCIAL!)

Ok... These are just a few parameters I can think of
from the TOP of my head and I hope that can help you
too.

===============================================
Final Thoughts
===============================================

As you can see creating your own email FILTERING process
is not that difficult. You just need to take a few hours
of your TIME to implement this system over 5-15 days.

I can assure you the PEACE of MIND you get with
LESS overload of emails and offers... is really gonna
SINK in more CLARITY about:

a) What's relevant for you to FOCUS ON
(the work you can do during the WEEK)

b) What's IRRELEVANT for you to focus ON!
(the offers you can check during the WEEKEND)

I hope you find this post useful in some way!

Regards,

Frederico Vila Verde

[Razer Rage]

Wow. That's a really great post.

[Reco Davis]

Yes, that's some good stuff!

[FredericoVilaVerde]

Originally Posted by Razer Rage

Wow. That's a really great post.

Originally Posted by Reco Davis

Yes, that's some good stuff!

Thanks to Razer and Reco for the kind comments!

Regards,

Frederico Vila Verde

[ericdpangilinan]

Awesome tips Frederico!

I'm already applying them as I read them.

You're a big help.

Thanks dude!

[FredericoVilaVerde]

Originally Posted by ericdpangilinan

Awesome tips Frederico!

I'm already applying them as I read them. You're a big help.Thanks dude!

You are Welcome!

....

Also, in case you guys are interested, I would love if you guys
would post some feedback here about YOUR personal results
and/or experience later in time. Let's say in 5-15 days!

Why? Because what I've noticed is this...

1) In the first day it took me like 1-2 hours in creating all the
email filtering process.

2) In the next 3 days I began receiving about 60% less email.

3) Then each day from there I would spend 15 minutes
a day in creating MORE filters. (I really did receive
many emails from multiple people!)

4) After one week I began to gain a lot of CLARITY
and work FOCUS... and after 15 days about
90% of the problem was solved!

I hope this can set expectations better!

Regards,

Frederico Vila Verde

[FredericoVilaVerde]

Ok... Today I've logged in into my weekend
gmail address. Here's a shocking fact:

- I've received 350 emails in only 7 days!

If my math is correct and assuming those
numbers stick over time... that's like 1400
emails per month I was allowing myself to
get distracted!

What about you?

How many emails are you receiving
that allow you to get distracted during
your week WORD days?

Regards,

Frederico Vila Verde

P.S: Yes, I know today is Monday and that I am
breaking my own rule of only checking emails with
offers on weekend days. The truth is I had no time
to check this gmail account for the past weekend,
because I was away... so I just did it this morning.