I want to share with you faithful readers this nice talk about Inbox Zero.
Inbox Zero is a 43Folders series focused on (quoting) “the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your email inbox — and then keep it that way”.I know it’s an hour long video, but you can safely stop before the Q&A section, although it offers some nice insights and I recommend you watching it. Plus I might return on the topic in the future, so even my lazy super busy readers can get a glimpse of the whole thing.
I’m sure that some of my “followers” deal with a definitely higher volume of emails that I do, and I shouldn’t be teaching anything to them on this topic, but bear with me :-)
Nonetheless, I sometimes (like in very active moments when starting a new project, such as my thesis work, or my involment with BEST) find myself on the verge of hitting the reasonable threshold of sustainability of email flow, and I developed “tricks” that resemble this kind of approach. It’s a pleasure to see an even better way of dealing with the information flowing daily in my inbox, explained in such a clear fashion.
If you prefer, an alternative to the video is the actual first issue of the series. Find it here.
http://www.43folders.com/2006/03/13/inbox-zero/
P.S. Gotta *luv* the way this guy (Merlin Mann) writes!
Stay tuned, more to come.
I haven’t watched the video. Sorry Michael, but an hour is just too much.
However, I have been dealing with email since 1992 and I have developed similar strategies. A couple more tips for deciding when to delete messages:
1) when the message has a clueless or no subject
2) when the receipient is unable to answer questions. See this post of mine on an old blog: A job interviewing tip – http://www.paoloamoroso.it/log/060514.html (note that in some countries it is not allowed to ask one’s age; so, just ask one’s name).