The latest in Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero series adds another chapter to the series geared toward clearing up our inboxes. This one discusses the mind trick of assessing whether you should just hit the delete button on many or most emails that come your way. His strategy is to delete or archive the second you get the email if you get a sneaking suspicion you’ll never respond to it.
It sort of reminds me of the concept of “single handling”. Back in the olden days when you had to go out to a mailbox and get your messages on paper in these things called envelopes, we’d get a lot of mail we’d never need. So the key to handling that was to “single handle” it. Make a decision right then and there whether to toss it, write a check or write back. That leads to smaller piles you have to deal with.
“Do you have a sloppy relationship with the messages in your life? Be honest. Do you tend to see every new email as a virtual hug that must be reciprocated? Do you keep emails in your inbox for weeks or months even though you know in your heart of hearts that you have no intention of ever responding to them? If so, it’s dragging you down if you ever hope to hit “zero” in this lifetime. Mentioned briefly yesterday, it bears repeating: delete, my friend. Delete, delete, delete.”
link: Inbox Zero: Delete, delete, delete (or, “Fail faster”)
Technorati Tags: email, outlook, gtd, productivity
