There was an inflection point in our behaviors over the last several years regarding information.  We used to welcome information in an unfiltered way.  Then, our inboxes grew to over a hundred emails a day.  Marketing and selling techniques inundated us.  After all, the marginal costs for businesses to connect are cheap compared to times past with new leveraged communication and production tools.

With the social web firmly in place, we have new avenues to get what we need without being cocooned in our voicemail, inbox and offices.  The strategies for the knowledge worker to get things done today put us firmly in charge of our knowledge consumption.

Increasing Productivity With An Extended Inbox

When we check our email, it is based on someone else’s decision to push something onto us for response.  Our give and take in the threaded discussions which ensue moves the ball for collaboration and productivity.

However, beyond our email inbox we have an entire ecosystem in the blogosphere and social media.  These two mediums alone allow us to peer into ongoing conversations, debate and thinking.  We are subscribing and can organize how much we want to engage or remain aloof.  It allows us to drive towards our decisions and actions by drawing from a collective conscience of continual and selective information.  We may want to opt out of our email because of the increasing lack of control we feel there.  Meanwhile, the extended inbox of the web organized in blogs, social media and readers allows us to opt in with more control.  It’s becoming a safer and more sane place for us all.

Strategy Consulting Best Practice

I organize my world around results.  To get to those results, I need valid information to drive decisions and actions. Operating from various dashboards where I can consume information and drive actions are what moves my leadership and execution forward.  Those dashboards include:

• Email
• Shared Calendaring
• RSS Reader
• Social Media Reader
• Alerts
• Sales Automation Systems

I am getting inputs from many dashboards.  The picture helps to drive next steps.  By organizing and living far beyond the traditional inbox, my opt-in world built from what I need keeps me streamlined towards results.  Be sure to evaluate your extended inbox.  Your control over your information world is directly related to your success.