Three habits for the first month

What makes the difference after a fortnight

A mailbox becomes either a burden or a tool depending on three habits picked up in the first weeks. They cost nothing and are learnt once.

One: an inbox that empties

The inbox is not a storage place, it is an arrivals platform. A message that has been dealt with goes into a folder, or into the bin. Farida ends her day with fewer than ten lines in her inbox, and she knows each one is waiting for something from her. That is more restful than a four-figure counter.

Two: a subject that says what is inside

"Question" means nothing six months from now. "Beaulieu quote, choice of oak" is found with a single search, and the recipient knows whether to open it straight away. Three seconds when writing, ten minutes saved when looking back.

Three: search rather than obsessive filing

Twenty nested folders are twenty chances to file in the wrong place. Three or four broad folders are enough: search does the rest, and it never picks the wrong drawer.