To these accusations, I have only one thing to say: you're doing it wrong.
Inbox Zero is a method, not a creed. It's not even very much of a goal. It's a system that says:
- put all of your unprocessed stuff (in this case, email) in one place (your inbox),
- go through that pile of stuff one at a time
- make a decision about what you need to do about it (e.g., "nothing", "reply", "actually read it")
- record the results of that decision (put it in a folder; tag it)
- remove the thing from the pile
Or rather, it's a succinct way of talking about how to apply GTD principles to email.
The "Zero" refers to the size of that pile of unprocessed stuff, not the number of things on your todo list.
If you don't have three hours spare to read GTD, you really ought to spend one hour watching Merlin Mann's video on Inbox Zero.
3 comments:
Wait, so people think you're at Inbox Zero when you have no tasks left? Who EVER has no tasks left?
You read GTD in 3 hours?!? That's pretty impressive!
Good points JML.. I think the Inbox Zero philosophy is outdated!
Expunging the Inbox is a ritual from the early days of mailbox quotas and fear of filling up /var. There's no need to free up space these days, and since email is instantly searchable (on Gmail at least), I argue that it makes no sense at all to delete from your Inbox, other than to keep your OCD at bay.
It's easier these days to use Email like a "stream" - just like your Facebook or Twitter news feed. I currently have 16,000+ messages in my Inbox - all I care is that they are all "read". I star items that I will come back to and that require further action.
Making your Inbox Zero is a superflous action that really doesn't achieve anything!
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