I receive a lot of contact information via emails. To follow up, I need to move it from the email (Outlook) into my contact management software (ACT) with relevant information. (a clue as to how we connected) HOWEVER- I don’t always switch gears to add the information immediately, and before I know it, that contact is lost in my email clutter. Or, equally ineffective, I add the contact’s email address to my address book automatically, with none of the supporting information.

I’ve started using a new email folder called “add to contacts”. I move new contact emails into the folder, and then I use an administrative block of time to add the information to my system. My goal is to update once a week. My track record isn’t perfect, but it’s a major improvement over the ad hoc (aka scramble when needed) method I was using before.

If you have better ideas, please let me know. Updating contacts is one of those incredibly important tasks that is easy to neglect. I’d love to find ways to do it seamlessly and painlessly!