My inbox is EVIL.
That is not a fake number. Those missives are not spam. They are all very real and very much need replies.
But it doesn’t matter how hard I work at bailing it out. The number. NEVER. GETS. SMALLER.
Here’s my favorite description of what I call “Massive Inbox Problem” (MIP!):
“Email is such a funny thing. People hand you these single little messages that are no heavier than a river pebble. But it doesn’t take long until you have acquired a pile of pebbles that’s taller than you and heavier than you could ever hope to move, even if you wanted to do it over a few dozen trips. But for the person who took the time to hand you their pebble, it seems outrageous that you can’t handle that one tiny thing. “What ‘pile’? It’s just a pebble!”
- Merlin Mann, a software usability expert, quoted in Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everyone
I don’t know what the answer is, but to everyone who I haven’t yet responded to, I’m sorry. I’ll hand you back your pebble one of these days.
My inbox has never been that bad, but I sympathize. I’ve been following some simple rules of GTD that have helped me a bit. If the email will take two minutes to respond to, I do it immediately. If it takes more than that, I label it “@action” and archive it. I also try to add a label to categorize it.
Later, when I have the time and will power, I come back and sit down and tackle it cagegory by category. I have to do this every day or two to stay on top of it, but in the end, it is easier and less stressful than checking and responding all day long. I get into this email mode. It is hard to describe, but it is typically accompanied by headphones with loud, high BPM music (often Girl Talk).
Also, I’ve found it very helpful to use Gmail with the Better Gmail Firefox extension. Between regular Gmail features and the extension, I can navigate it without touching the mouse, and adding labels is quick and easy.
Anyway, good luck Julia.
