I think that paper is about something slightly different. What peter_hurford is recommending is not “sort your emails so you can find them again easily later” as “sort your emails so that you read them in the right context.”
For example, gmail now has its own automatic sorting / folders system that I’ve found tremendously useful. I don’t use it to find listserv emails separately from Amazon shipping updates- if I’m looking for a particular email, I use search. What I do use it for is only paying attention to certain classes of email at the right times. Every day I check the “Updates” folder, see shipping emails from Amazon and Kickstarter updates, and archive them. When I have downtime for reading forum posts, I check the Forums tab. But when someone important emails me about something important, it goes straight into my inbox and my phone beeps at me.
Hm. I’ve found the Gmail changes almost completely useless, since I read email almost exclusively on my phone (though I often reread or respond to it on my laptop) and the changes don’t extend to the Android app. Reading between the lines, though, it doesn’t sound like you’re seeing the same behavior I am. Do you have a different email workflow? Or do you know if the changes are supported by some phones but not others, or require manual configuration, or something?
I’ve found the Gmail changes almost completely useless, since I read email almost exclusively on my phone (though I often reread or respond to it on my laptop) and the changes don’t extend to the Android app.
My android app on a Motorola Droid has the changes as well, and automatically switched over when I switched my browser setup. I would investigate your settings.
That it also works on my phone is a large part of what makes it so useful for me- of the ~30 emails I get a day, only the ~2 actually important ones ping me on my phone, and the rest wait patiently until I want to see them.
My folder system is not complicated. It’s just three folders—action, waiting, and reference. I suppose that if I had enough emails on one topic, though, I might make an additional folder. Anecdotally, it’s saved me a lot a time.
Re inbox zero: this paper seems to suggest it’s a waste of time (and my experience concurs). How complicated is your folder structure?
Set up automatic filters.
I think that paper is about something slightly different. What peter_hurford is recommending is not “sort your emails so you can find them again easily later” as “sort your emails so that you read them in the right context.”
For example, gmail now has its own automatic sorting / folders system that I’ve found tremendously useful. I don’t use it to find listserv emails separately from Amazon shipping updates- if I’m looking for a particular email, I use search. What I do use it for is only paying attention to certain classes of email at the right times. Every day I check the “Updates” folder, see shipping emails from Amazon and Kickstarter updates, and archive them. When I have downtime for reading forum posts, I check the Forums tab. But when someone important emails me about something important, it goes straight into my inbox and my phone beeps at me.
Hm. I’ve found the Gmail changes almost completely useless, since I read email almost exclusively on my phone (though I often reread or respond to it on my laptop) and the changes don’t extend to the Android app. Reading between the lines, though, it doesn’t sound like you’re seeing the same behavior I am. Do you have a different email workflow? Or do you know if the changes are supported by some phones but not others, or require manual configuration, or something?
My android app on a Motorola Droid has the changes as well, and automatically switched over when I switched my browser setup. I would investigate your settings.
That it also works on my phone is a large part of what makes it so useful for me- of the ~30 emails I get a day, only the ~2 actually important ones ping me on my phone, and the rest wait patiently until I want to see them.
My folder system is not complicated. It’s just three folders—action, waiting, and reference. I suppose that if I had enough emails on one topic, though, I might make an additional folder. Anecdotally, it’s saved me a lot a time.