Of course I have work to do, but skimming my 156 emails from yesterday has this… dare I say, sex appeal.

If you Google “what is sex appeal?” wikihow.com says that “sex appeal is, by nature, almost undefinable”… then goes on to explain how it’s a “nebulous quality that draws you to someone who isn’t necessarily attractive”… maybe, just maybe it’s also an attraction to ‘something’. Yahoo says that the term ‘sex appeal’ was “invented by the media to describe whoever is hot that week” and this is where I start to connect the dots…

I’m drawn to my inbox to see what’s happening, ‘what’s hot,’ and who those I admire are talking about, and of course, to run my business. I find myself pulled into watching a great TED talk or skipping over to my social media pages to share what I feel is valuable… but how is that helping me?

McKinsey Global Institute research reveals that 28% of an employee’s workweek is spent reading, composing, or responding to emails. That’s more than an entire day every week! I know the ears of employers just perked up – as should the ears of those of you who are self-employed!

The GTD Foundation Meets the Core Four System™

David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology offers a proven decision-making framework for processing any input, including email. The GTD workflow asks us to evaluate each item systematically:

What is it? – Identify what the email actually represents

Is it actionable? – If no, trash it, incubate it for later, or file it as reference

What’s the next action? – If yes, determine the specific next step

Can I do it in under 2 minutes? – If yes, do it now. If no, delegate it or defer it

The Kaos Group Core Four System™ (scroll down to download the guide) takes this GTD foundation and translates it into a practical, physical system that works with your natural workflow habits. Instead of letting emails pile up or treating your inbox like a filing cabinet, the Core Four System™ gives every email a clear destination.

A Four-Step Email Process

You have two choices right now, to continue spending endless amounts of time in your inbox, or to spend quality time with your emails by processing them efficiently using the Core Four System™:

To Do – Direct action items to your task list (items requiring more than 2 minutes and specific actions)

To Pay – Move financial items to your billing system or delegate for payment

To File – Store reference material in organized folders (digital or physical)

To Read – Collect valuable content in an accessible location for scheduled reading time

Each category aligns with GTD principles: actionable items go to To Do, reference materials go to To File, bills requiring payment go to To Pay, and informational content goes to To Read. By sorting emails into these four clear categories, you’re following the GTD decision tree while creating a sustainable organizational structure.

It’s a four-step process, and those four steps might be the hardest four steps you’ll take this week. But here’s the truth: that magnetic pull your inbox has over you – that sex appeal – isn’t actually serving you or your business. Every time you check “just to see what’s there,” you’re trading productive work time for the illusion of productivity. The Core Four System™ breaks that spell by giving you a clear process that turns your inbox from a seductive distraction into a manageable tool.

Remember: email processing is four steps, powered by GTD principles and made practical through the Core Four System™.