Monday, November 03, 2008
Today is Email Bankruptcy Day
As I've mentioned before, I've started a new policy that does nothing but make me feel falsely less burdened once per month.
On the first business day of every month I take everything left in my email Inbox, create a new folder for it, and move all those emails into it.
If it's in my Inbox that means I believe I should respond or take action on it...I'm a filer, not a piler, so the Inbox is my "Action" folder. But now, I have a string of "Action" folders by month of all the actions I just couldn't get to. That I should get to, that I want to get to, absolutely. But that I haven't gotten to and don't know if I ever will.
Now, sometimes while on a plane or in some other "trapped" situation I do go through all the old month's Action folders. I've actually managed to eliminate some months. It's not all that pretty though. Right now it looks like this:
2007: 185 messages
February '08: 46 messages
April '08: 11 messages
July '08: 36 messages
August '08: 1 message
September '08: 13 messages
October '08: 52 messages
For a grand total of: 344 messages that were at one point touched, read, and determined to be worthy of a response from me :(
See what I mean about creating a false sense of less burden?
Sigh.
If you're waiting for a response form me to an email from before today, i suggest pinging me again.
And let me just apologize, in advance, for my egregiously delayed reply!
On the first business day of every month I take everything left in my email Inbox, create a new folder for it, and move all those emails into it.
If it's in my Inbox that means I believe I should respond or take action on it...I'm a filer, not a piler, so the Inbox is my "Action" folder. But now, I have a string of "Action" folders by month of all the actions I just couldn't get to. That I should get to, that I want to get to, absolutely. But that I haven't gotten to and don't know if I ever will.
Now, sometimes while on a plane or in some other "trapped" situation I do go through all the old month's Action folders. I've actually managed to eliminate some months. It's not all that pretty though. Right now it looks like this:
2007: 185 messages
February '08: 46 messages
April '08: 11 messages
July '08: 36 messages
August '08: 1 message
September '08: 13 messages
October '08: 52 messages
For a grand total of: 344 messages that were at one point touched, read, and determined to be worthy of a response from me :(
See what I mean about creating a false sense of less burden?
Sigh.
If you're waiting for a response form me to an email from before today, i suggest pinging me again.
And let me just apologize, in advance, for my egregiously delayed reply!
Labels: Email bankruptcy day, GTD, productivity
// posted by ElisaC @ 1:42 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
At least once a quarter, and sometimes once a month, I move everything from my Inbox into a dated folder. I make sure I have actually read or reviewed each email...i don't move emails that have never been read. And I declare email bankruptcy and let people know that they should ping me again if they're waiting for an important response from me.
Post a Comment
<< Home
