Inbox Zero

I’ve been trying the Inbox Zero method of email management. Here’s what I did for my work email:

We are using an Exchange 2003 server and I am using Outlook 2003 as my client. I have set up a number of rules that filter my incoming mail into various folders. I’m pretty much at the point where if it ends up in my inbox I know it is something I should read soon. Everything else can wait. Once it is read I take action on it, and then I remove it from my inbox. I’ve found that I am much more efficient with my email since doing this. It is easier for me to prioritize my email and respond accordingly.

On a slight tangent, this is why I prefer email over instant messaging. I expect people to read my emails and respond in a timely matter. However I do not expect an immediate responce. By definition, instant messaging is, well instant. IM bypasses all filters, every message steals my attention equally, much the same way that my unfiltered email used to. But that is why I do not like phones either. Too intrusive, especially without CallerID.

April 4, 2006 · Posted in Techie/Geek  
　　　　

Comments

One Response to “Inbox Zero”

  1. Inbox Zero Revisited « Relax, it’s just ones and zeroes on June 9th, 2007

    [...] by Chris on June 9th, 2007 A little over a year ago I discovered and wrote about Inbox Zero. As I have been working on an article on using Outlook 2007 productively I thought I’d [...]

Leave a Reply

-->