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any in-box, on its own, is a pretty bad action management tool. It is difficult to keep your Action Steps separate from References and other noise. The constant stream of e-mail certainly doesn’t help. In addition to e-mail, you may also receive other types of incoming communications in the form of Tweets, Facebook messages, etc. Some are actionable, or contain actionable elements, while others are simply for reference (or for fun).
    Given the unyielding flow of communications, you wil want to capture and manage your Action Steps separately. Despite the many tricks involving “action subfolders” and other ways to manage and prioritize Action Steps within an e-mail system, there is nothing better than giving Action Steps their own sacred space to be managed by project. The Action Method suggests that Action Steps should be managed separately from communications. The solution can be as simple as a spreadsheet or to-do list where al Action Steps are tracked (and can be sorted by project name or due date). You can also make use of more advanced project management applications that manage Action Steps and support delegation and col aboration. What you want to avoid is a mishmash of actionable items amidst hundreds of verbose e-mails and other messages scattered in various places.
    For teams that manage Action Steps via e-mail, actionable e-mails should have “Action” as the first word in the subject line. For Reference e-mails, you should start the e-mail’s subject line with “FYI.” By establishing a common language with your col eagues, everyone wil be able to sort their e-mail in-box and view Action Steps using these keywords.
    Feel the flow of the Action Method. Every new day generates more ideas, notes, and communications that flow into your col ective in-box. At periods of the day that you designate for processing, you break everything down into Action Steps, Backburner Items, and References. You associate each item with a project, whether it is personal or work-related. As you are doing this, quick actions are being completed while longer-term Action Steps are being added to the appropriate project’s task list or your task management application—with a project name (and due date if necessary). Backburner Items are added to the appropriate folder or list. And Reference materials are either being discarded or stored by project or perhaps in a chronological file.

    Feel the flow, from creativity to capturing the elements, processing them, and

then managing them by project.
    Capture! Capture Action Steps relentlessly. During a brainstorm or a meeting, or on the run, you wil generate ideas, and those ideas wil disappear unless they are broken down into concrete verb-driven Action Steps. Col ect them using whatever notebook or technology option you desire—but try to keep Action Steps separate so they stand out amidst your References and Backburner Items. Some people e-mail themselves throughout the day, while others capture tasks on a mobile device that automatical y syncs with an online task management tool. Whatever method you choose, it is critical that your Action Steps stand out and can be managed separately from al of the other stuff.
    If you find yourself with extraneous scraps of paper or unfiled e-mails containing Action Steps, Backburner Items, and References, place them in your in-box for processing.
    Identify your collective in-box. In addition to your physical in-box, you also have your e-mail in-box among other digital sources of information. Identify and then consolidate the number of digital in-boxes that you need to manage.
    Process! Take a few hours each day (or a minimum of a few nights per week) to process the contents of your in-box. As you review the pile (or list of e-mails), discern what is actionable and what is not.
    • If actionable, identify the Action Steps. For Action Steps that can be accomplished quickly (like make a short phone cal or pay a bil ), do them right away. David Al en