I’m not really sure why in some computer efficiency circles email gets frowned upon.

Used properly it can save you time.

I have multiple accounts but the one I check most often is Gmail. Every aspect of my online life gets filtered through this silo. I used to be a big believer in Inbox Zero, but you know what sucks? Going all OCD trying to make your inbox an empty waste basket. No thanks, I’d rather be surfing.

These days I let Gmail do the heavy lifting with Labels organized by project. Email lists and social-media notifications also have their own section.
This way actual personal correspondence always gets my attention. And that’s all we want to do. Read and respond. Quickly. Efficiently.

My messages and responses are usually a sentence or two — maybe three. If there is more to be said, that warrants a phone call. However, if you decide to heed this advice be careful, some will misconstrue your “briefness” as being impolite. I try to avoid this. Firstly, I’ll explain during a casual face to face conversation (remember those?) my email methodology. It usually goes something like this.

“I’m a horrible typist. What would take a minute for you takes me twice the time to type. Imagine if I had hundreds of emails to respond to. So I try to keep things short. I hope you understand.”

Most people get it.

It seems to me email is the perfect tool for “getting things done” and creating an effective “all in one inbox”. How do you organize email? Have any special tips or tricks to share? Leave them in the comments.

↩ This post inspired by Ben Brooks » Elliot Jay Stocks
~ I don’t receive hundreds of emails daily but it is true that I am a horrible typist. White-lies can be an ally.