This is the latest news and information for workers and managers from across the Web universe, brought to you by Monday Morning Manager writer Harvey Schachter. Follow us on Twitter @Globe_Careers or join our Linked In group.
Quit deleting everything from your e-mail inbox, says consultant Art Petty, who has 67,000 messages in his. The standard advice is to maintain a pristine inbox but unless that serves a deep psychological need, it's better to leave everything where you can easily search – a handy digital filing cabinet. ArtPetty.com
Focus on customer retention, not service
Increase customer retention, not customer satisfaction. Toronto-based operations consultant Andrew Miller says customer satisfaction only tells you if you are meeting customer expectations, but those expectations might be too low. Instead, focus on retaining existing customers and having them bring in new customers. ACM Consulting.com
Sculpt your way to an ideal career
Consultant Alan Weiss notes that Michelangelo said he created David out of a single block of marble by carving away everything that didn't look like David. Your career should revolve around things you are passionate about. Carve away everything else to be your own work of art. Contrarian Consulting.com
Don't eat into break time
Budget sufficient time for breaks at your large group meetings. Too often leaders want to pack as much as possible into the available time and cut into breaks for lunch and coffee. That leads to boredom, irritation and people mentally signing out of the process. Magic of Teams Blog
Add chatter to get things done
Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams gets stressed out by quiet these days, perhaps because of an Internet addiction. He likes to work in restaurants, amid background noise. For others with similar needs, he recommends Coffitivity an app that gives you the background chatter of a coffee shop to inspire you. Scott Adams Blog
Harvey Schachter is a Battersea, Ont.-based writer specializing in management issues. He writes Monday Morning Manager and management book reviews for the print edition of Report on Business and an online work-life column Balance. E-mail Harvey Schachter
Harvey Schachter