Not for me at all. I find it's way too easy to lose important stuff in the wild that way. Things can easily fall through the cracks, and I fear I'd become less reliable. Inbox Zero isn't difficult...
Not for me at all. I find it's way too easy to lose important stuff in the wild that way. Things can easily fall through the cracks, and I fear I'd become less reliable.
Inbox Zero isn't difficult once you get a system down. I don't use extensive tagging rules or 50 folders. I simply archive messages when they've been actioned, or snooze them if I need to follow up. It's automatic at this point.
That seems like a very broad generalization. Inbox zero is popular for a reason. It works, and it has a good philosophy behind it. It might not work for everyone (such as the author) - but simply...
They want to stay productive, and Inbox Zero might give them the impression to do so. But it doesn't
That seems like a very broad generalization. Inbox zero is popular for a reason. It works, and it has a good philosophy behind it. It might not work for everyone (such as the author) - but simply saying it doesn't work is factually wrong. It doesn't work for you (which is fine) - but don't assume that the same applies to everyone.
after noticing the insane amount of time I had to invest to keep my Inbox/text messages queue clean, I started ask myself “Why?”. Now, thinking about all the time people spend to keep their inboxes to zero makes me panic.
That means the author is doing it wrong. Once you are at/near inbox zero, it should take very little time. If you are getting that many emails, then you need to unsubscribe/filter them or retire that email address. If you don't care about a mailing list or only want it for later reference, great - make a filter, skip the inbox. Boom. If you don't need promo emails from your local pizza delivery joint - hit unsubscribe. Its got a little bit of an up front cost, but you'll get past it.
...if you just accept the fact that inbox numbers mean nothing.
If they mean nothing, then honestly your email probably means nothing. As long as you don't expect to get any important emails, then sure - have 90k emails in your inbox. But good luck seeing that important email about your bank card being used at a gas station in another state. Or an email that says grandma is in the hospital. Or anything else that you don't want to miss. IMO, email is kind of pointless as a communication medium if you don't see or respond to emails.
You have no control over your incoming messages: spam, useless chats.
Spam filters, custom filters, unsubscribing, and even using multiple emails for multiple purposes. You have plenty of control over who send you mail. And chats are typically even easier, as you can often set it to friends only and not friend unknown people.
This approach is the opposite (and the same) of Inbox Zero. This approach is ∞ Inbox.
It requires a deep breath, ignoring numbers, and realizing that, in the end, zero and infinity are both undefinable.
Catchy, but not really meaningful. Trimming down to important emails and deciding to action, archive, or snooze is really not the same as just ignoring emails and hoping for the best. Maybe it works for the author...but ignoring emails hardly seems like a #Productivity hack...
I have inbox zero - which is easier now when I am not as involved in as many open source projects, then I managed to do it by using filters. The issue here is that the author makes the classic...
I have inbox zero - which is easier now when I am not as involved in as many open source projects, then I managed to do it by using filters.
The issue here is that the author makes the classic mistake assuming that their personal experience is a universal one. That said - I have my own unique rules for communication:
Does it need to be reacted to this second? Call me.
Does it need to be reacted to this minute? Text me.
Does it need to be reacted to this hour? Ping me on Telegram or Signal.
Does it need to be reacted to today? Email me, or CC me in a mail
Does it need to be reacted to this week? Talk via a mail list.
Which isn't universal, so with every new person I have to inform them how this works.
EDIT: one thing that gets me is that a lot of people think that pinging me on different Social Media sites (Discord, Facebook etc etc) means I will see it directly and get frustrated because I "refuse to reply" and I have to explain again that while they have notifications on their phones for these sites, I don't.
I check email when I feel like checking email, if it was urgent it would have come in via Slack. That said, I am a fan of an inbox with 0 unread messages. Labels and calendar reminders help me...
I check email when I feel like checking email, if it was urgent it would have come in via Slack. That said, I am a fan of an inbox with 0 unread messages. Labels and calendar reminders help me follow up on things that need doing later.
I am inbox infinite, I use search to find important emails, though I went over the 1GB threshold recently. I achieve inbox zero every once and a while by just deleting everything and saving...
I am inbox infinite, I use search to find important emails, though I went over the 1GB threshold recently.
I achieve inbox zero every once and a while by just deleting everything and saving important stuff in a txt file. I have to say, it's a pleasant existence: I use my free time to walk to the other side of the room and grab a cookie.
I guess, but for me it is a lot easier to forget about them, if I first either delete or archive the message. It takes practically no effort to deal with a clearly unimportant message.
I simply forget about text messages/emails that did not deserve my actions in first place.
I guess, but for me it is a lot easier to forget about them, if I first either delete or archive the message. It takes practically no effort to deal with a clearly unimportant message.
Not for me at all. I find it's way too easy to lose important stuff in the wild that way. Things can easily fall through the cracks, and I fear I'd become less reliable.
Inbox Zero isn't difficult once you get a system down. I don't use extensive tagging rules or 50 folders. I simply archive messages when they've been actioned, or snooze them if I need to follow up. It's automatic at this point.
That seems like a very broad generalization. Inbox zero is popular for a reason. It works, and it has a good philosophy behind it. It might not work for everyone (such as the author) - but simply saying it doesn't work is factually wrong. It doesn't work for you (which is fine) - but don't assume that the same applies to everyone.
That means the author is doing it wrong. Once you are at/near inbox zero, it should take very little time. If you are getting that many emails, then you need to unsubscribe/filter them or retire that email address. If you don't care about a mailing list or only want it for later reference, great - make a filter, skip the inbox. Boom. If you don't need promo emails from your local pizza delivery joint - hit unsubscribe. Its got a little bit of an up front cost, but you'll get past it.
If they mean nothing, then honestly your email probably means nothing. As long as you don't expect to get any important emails, then sure - have 90k emails in your inbox. But good luck seeing that important email about your bank card being used at a gas station in another state. Or an email that says grandma is in the hospital. Or anything else that you don't want to miss. IMO, email is kind of pointless as a communication medium if you don't see or respond to emails.
Spam filters, custom filters, unsubscribing, and even using multiple emails for multiple purposes. You have plenty of control over who send you mail. And chats are typically even easier, as you can often set it to friends only and not friend unknown people.
Catchy, but not really meaningful. Trimming down to important emails and deciding to action, archive, or snooze is really not the same as just ignoring emails and hoping for the best. Maybe it works for the author...but ignoring emails hardly seems like a #Productivity hack...
I have inbox zero - which is easier now when I am not as involved in as many open source projects, then I managed to do it by using filters.
The issue here is that the author makes the classic mistake assuming that their personal experience is a universal one. That said - I have my own unique rules for communication:
Which isn't universal, so with every new person I have to inform them how this works.
EDIT: one thing that gets me is that a lot of people think that pinging me on different Social Media sites (Discord, Facebook etc etc) means I will see it directly and get frustrated because I "refuse to reply" and I have to explain again that while they have notifications on their phones for these sites, I don't.
I check email when I feel like checking email, if it was urgent it would have come in via Slack. That said, I am a fan of an inbox with 0 unread messages. Labels and calendar reminders help me follow up on things that need doing later.
I am inbox infinite, I use search to find important emails, though I went over the 1GB threshold recently.
I achieve inbox zero every once and a while by just deleting everything and saving important stuff in a txt file. I have to say, it's a pleasant existence: I use my free time to walk to the other side of the room and grab a cookie.
I guess, but for me it is a lot easier to forget about them, if I first either delete or archive the message. It takes practically no effort to deal with a clearly unimportant message.