Tips on managing high volume emails (Part 2)

In the previous post I touched on some the technology behind how I manage my email. In this post I'll take a look at some of the software and my workflow.

What you have to realise, is that keeping on top of your email does not necessarily mean answering every email as it arrives, or even answering all your email within a couple of hours or even days.

Keeping on top of your email is to process it effectively so that you are in control and able to cope.

This is one of the main themes of the "Getting Things Done" methodology. I'm not a GTD expert and would suggest that you check out many of the resources available on the web. Just google "GTD" or checkout Merlin Manns 43 Folders site. Basically, the approach I take is to process my inbox using the following principles:

• Delete the email if I don't need to action or keep for reference
  
  
• Action the email if I can do it in less than a few minutes and file/delete it
  
  
• Defer the email for a later time if I need to think or its going to take me longer than a few minutes to respond, but remove it from the inbox to a trusted system
  
  
• Delegate the email if some else can handle it
  
  
• Archive the email for reference

The overall aim is to clear out your inbox so that only new emails are viewable. The inbox should not be your to do list or your filing system

So with that in mind, here are some of the tools that I use:

Apples Mail Client - This is the main email client that I use. Primarily due to its rules engine, smart mailboxes, support for IMAP and lots of third party tools available that integrate with Apple Mail.

Note that the Apple Mail application can be used with many different mail systems, not just MobileMe mail. You can use it with Google mail (both IMAP and POP), your ISPs email system, basically most third party email systems based on POP or IMAP.

Mail Act-On - Link - This is a fantastic tool to help you process your emails. It allows you to apply rules to emails based on keyboard shortcuts. It's so difficult to create completely automated rules for every eventuality.

Invariably, you will need to manually process emails but once you've had chance to review and/or action them, there is usually some common action you need to do to the email. It could be file it within your email folders, add tags (see later), colour the email, reply or forward the email even run an Applescript based on the email. Mail-Acton allows you to create specific rules with associated keystrokes.

It's amazing how much muscle memory you can develop within a short period of time.

So if I read an email and there is no action and I want to move it to my archive mailbox, I just hit CTRL and A and it's gone.

If I read a mail and it's related to a specific project, I just hit CTRL and P and the mail is moved to my Archive mailbox and the special tag I've setup is attached to the email so I can search for it later or even create a Smart Mailbox to view all the related emails in one place.

Mail Act-On is probably top of my list for speeding up my email processing. I have covered Mail Act-On in a previous ScreenCastsOnline show - SCO0176 - Organise Your Email - Mail Act-On v2

More applications in part 3!

Comments

[Richard]

Don,
I have only been using a Mac for a bit over two years so I am a bit of newbie. I have been using PCs since 1981, and computers since 1972, so I have some experience with hardware and software. My first use of email was in 1984 with an in-house Apollo-based system.

I find Apple Mail to be pitiful as a mail client. The UI is "seriously awful". I have set it up many times for clients and it is one finicky application to set up. It is just not as well designed or implemented as most Apple software.

On the Mac I prefer either web-based clients, Gmail, Windows Live Mail, Yahoo, MobileMe ..., or Thunderbird as an email client application. But Mail is just one awful application IMO.

My two cents.
Richard

[Ofir]

I love Mail Act-On.
I discovered it only a few weeks ago and it's already a habit for me.

Thanks again Don for a wonderful post.

Ofir

[DonMc]

@Richard - I just find that the extras you can get for Apples mail app just out way it's failings. Besides which, I think in recent releases, they've certainly made great strides in making it easier to configure.

The only real issue I've had with it was trying to access my email via a really slow connection - it can take an age but that's probably the IMAP synchronisation overhead.

[Dave Bourke]

I think it's really the concept that's important rather than the client. The key points for me are;

1) A single email client
2) Some levels of automation
3) A daily process to follow this.

Also people do things different ways. For instance I use Gmail as my single client and my todo list is in effect starred items in my inbox. If my life was more complicated I may then need additional help from the likes of Omnifocus.

The other thing I think we all find is that the UI/client/software we love today is the one we hate tomorrow and then love again next week ... But the process remains the same..

Dave Bourke