Managing Email to GTD

The book “Getting Things Done”, by David Allen (Book – CD), has been a cornerstone for the “GTD” movement that’s sweeping the web and the workplace. One of his practical suggestions is to create a system for processing email (free PDF). Although email was never meant to become a “to do” list … it has for most people. Most people would do well to accept this fact and engineer a work flow that makes sense for them. One thing that will probably work well for just about anybody is the idea of not letting emails sit in your inbox. You don't store snail mail in your mailbox after you check it, why should you keep email in your inbox? Recommendations to come, but first ...

Signs that your system needs improving:

1. You consistently have more than about 15 emails in your inbox.
2. You consistently keep emails in your inbox for more than 1 week.
3. It takes you more than 30 seconds to find an important email you still need to respond to.
4. You are getting behind on your email to do list and experience guilt because of it.

If any of these qualifiers apply to you, you would probably benefit from re-thinking your approach to email, but there’s no 1 process to rule them all. The content and nature of your inbox is, to some degree, as unique as you are. That said, here are some best practices and philosophies that will probably help most users whose email system needs improving.

Best practices:

1. Use folders (or labels for Gmail users) to organize emails.
1. Archive: Everyone needs this one. Use it. You don’t need your 3 month old order confirmation in your inbox.
2. To Do: Call it what you will, but most people seem to like having an actionable cue.
3. Etc: Come up with your own folders and structure, but remember that your email is search-able and sort-able, so try to keep it as simple as possible. You don’t need separate archive folders for Amazon.com and Ebay.
2. Check the appropriate folders regularly so as not to forget to respond as you should. (especially your actionable cue)
3. If the task associated with an email can be completed in 2 minutes or less … just do it.
1. Get it out of the way unless you have an important deadline that’s breathing down your neck.
2. If you can’t “just do it”, or if it’ll take more than 2 minutes to do, place it in your “To Do” folder.
4. Process your inbox to zero (or almost zero) when you check your email. Your inbox should be the gathering place for incoming messages that haven’t been processed. Once you read an email, process it, and get it out of your inbox.
   
5. Use other tools (such as calendar apps) to set reminders and to schedule appointments or deadlines.
6. Delete emails that you don’t need.
   

My personal folder structure:

1. “Actionable”: Things that I choose to do later.
2. “Archive”: Things that I might need someday.
3. “Archive 90”: Emails that I’m sure will have no value to me after 90 days.
1. Once in a while I just go through and delete all the emails older than 90 days. (Don’t read them again!)
4. “Awaiting Response”: I can’t really move forward until I hear back on this email.
1. I’ll sometimes Bcc myself and place the email here so I know to follow up later if I don’t get a response.
2. Order confirmations go here too.

The challenge:

Come up with your own system and try it for at least a 2 weeks. You can always switch back to your old system (or complete lack thereof).

BTW, if you downloaded the PDF and are still not convinced, Merlin Mann did a great Google Tech Talk on the subject (Inbox Zero - Video - 1 hour).

Come on, all the cool kids are doing it,

Garrett Woodroof