Comments on: How I Slayed the Email Monster and Got My Life Back, or A Simple Guide to Inbox Zero https://themeaningmovement.com/inbox-zero/ Sun, 09 Feb 2025 01:40:48 +0000 hourly 1 By: Dan Cumberland https://themeaningmovement.com/inbox-zero/#comment-121001 Tue, 03 Apr 2018 16:10:05 +0000 http://themeaningmovement.com/?p=2580#comment-121001 In reply to Nick Cox.

Haha. Thank you Nick! And yes. I can’t believe I forgot to mention keyboard shortcuts! Especially considering that you’d mentioned them when I first published this a few years ago. I’m going to update it and add them in!

]]> By: Nick Cox https://themeaningmovement.com/inbox-zero/#comment-121000 Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:07:35 +0000 http://themeaningmovement.com/?p=2580#comment-121000 In reply to Nick Cox.

Meant to say this *IS* great!

]]> By: Nick Cox https://themeaningmovement.com/inbox-zero/#comment-120999 Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:07:07 +0000 http://themeaningmovement.com/?p=2580#comment-120999 This isn’t great! I find that another great way to eliminate email clutter is to get really familiar with Gmail’s excellent keyboard shortcuts. You should be able to dispatch your email without touching your mouse: extra efficiency!

]]> By: Dan https://themeaningmovement.com/inbox-zero/#comment-33196 Mon, 22 Sep 2014 22:16:03 +0000 http://themeaningmovement.com/?p=2580#comment-33196 In reply to Brian.

I love this, Brian. Thanks for the update! Turning off notifications is super helpful in gaining back your life from being email crazy. Tim Ferris writes about experimenting with how long you go between checking in, just to see if anything bad would actually happen. Though I appreciate his all-in approach, but would recommend a tempered version.

Keep us updated on your progress!

]]> By: Brian https://themeaningmovement.com/inbox-zero/#comment-33174 Mon, 22 Sep 2014 19:17:04 +0000 http://themeaningmovement.com/?p=2580#comment-33174 I applied the concepts from this article into an “Inbox Zero” success at work over this past weekend. I maybe cheated a little by using some “Getting Things Done (GTD)-esque” folders to move a few emails over – Action, Waiting, Read/Review. It’s been so freeing today to not have hundreds of e-mails in my Inbox.

My struggle today has been the desire to keep the Inbox at zero all day long. The “one last e-mail” now stares at me, saying “just answer me and you’ll feel amazing again!” So I answer it, feel amazing, but don’t complete my most pressing larger tasks.

So….my next step is to SCHEDULE e-mail checking, and try using Outlook less for other activities so it’s not RIGHT THERE all the time. Turning off notifications of new e-mail is a big help (goodbye dings and pop-ups from hell).

Side note: I also disconnected my company’s internal Instant Messenger for today to see how it feels. And my personal phone is on a separate desk so social media is at least a conscious stretch-across-the-room instead of a habitual itch-scratcher.

]]> By: Dan Cumberland https://themeaningmovement.com/inbox-zero/#comment-32300 Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:37:52 +0000 http://themeaningmovement.com/?p=2580#comment-32300 In reply to Nick Cox.

Love it! I haven’t explored those. That sounds like a great addition to my workflow. Thanks Nick!

]]> By: Nick Cox https://themeaningmovement.com/inbox-zero/#comment-32299 Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:36:25 +0000 http://themeaningmovement.com/?p=2580#comment-32299 One thing that helped me speed up how I process emails was gmail keyboard shortcuts. There’s a HUGE initial learning curve (slightly less so if you’re a developer and use the geeky text editor that many of the shortcuts were based on), but learning just a few (next & previous message, search, back to inbox, reply, archive, star, etc.) can save a TON of time over constantly clicking. It takes 2-3 days, but it saves so much time in the long run.

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