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Inbox Zero for the Google coders
Merlin Mann of 43 Folders gave a talk at Google on July 23, 2007 about his Inbox Zero. The super abbreviated slideshow version can be found here at SlideShare.net. The whole filmed presentation is here at Google Video.
I wrote a short summary of the Inbox Zero concept here a little over a year ago–good stuff. The primary difference for me in approaching my email inbox this way is opening it with intention. Never check email without processing it = the moral of the story.
Instead of going to your email inbox whenever you hear the ding or feel indecisive, take action. You’ll delete, delegate, respond, defer, or do. Schedule a time, 2-3 times a day, once an hour, every 20 minutes–as appropriate for your job or profession. BUT whenever you do, process what is there. Think of your inbox as a receptacle, not a reference storage unit or a “don’t know what to do with it” toxic dump. Decide. It feels fantastic!
If you’d like to hear him talk about it, you can watch his presentation at Google. The whole video is an hour, about 20 minutes of which is Q&A.
One Response to Inbox Zero for the Google coders »»
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One more thought, a suggestion really, on Merlin’s talk at Google. I would have left this on his post about the talk but comments were closed.
One of the audience questions was along the lines of, “What if my teammates expect me to check email every 30 seconds since that’s what I’ve been doing?” (Rather than processing email 2 to 3 to 4 times a day.)
My response: this is a perfect time for education. He could create an email signature for in-house emails that includes after the name:
btw – I’m using Inbox Zero strategies and check my email 3 times a day.
If you want a response faster, deal, I have other work to do.
If you need a response faster, call.=)
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