I use Outlook for work and Gmail for personal. I like Gmail much better with the multiple tagging and other options. Outlook 2007 has some expanded capabilities for putting things in “categories,” which I haven’t tried for email yet. That might help. I’m always putting a mail in one folder and then looking for it in another one.

I love several of the ideas here. I just went out to Google Labs for gmail and found all kinds of cool stuff that I am going to try.

I also need to be much more diligent about reviewing and unsubscribing from newsletters. There’s no way I can possibly read all of them, so I usually end up reading none of them, which is pretty ridiculous.

Just the other day I was unsubbing from a bunch of stuff and I had a really, really hard time with the newsletters of people I know personally. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings.

In the end, though, it’s you who has to contend with the inbox. You can do it step by step and feel the feelings as you move through the process.

Unsubscribing is a modern example of “a stitch in time saves nine.” Yay!

@Yollana – Welcome! Mmm…quiche! I don’t think I made up the term “blograising”, but I can’t remember where I heard it. I love that you’re not berating – your email strategies sound fantastic!

@Rachael – Yay, you’re here! Is your *goal* zero?

@Christine I agree – using the past for a reference can be helpful to mark improvement! How do you use the colored stars? I’ve never tried it!

@Sherra – Welcome! I love your ideas and peaceable truce with email. (Gmail rocks!)

@Pauline – Faaaahhhhbulous! I can see *why* this system works for you. Very simple and elegant.

@Mark – I love your email paradox. And knowing how present you are in your connections with folks, I’m sure they don’t mind being put on the back burner from time to time.

@Tami – Wow! The consciousness you bring to your inbox has *got* to pay off. I couldn’t have written better instructions myself. I will have to check out the google labs tools you mentioned – they sound really effective!

I set up a filter so that anything coming from “Inspired Home Office blog” goes from my inbox automatically into a folder. The key here is that the side folder is easy to see – and I recognize when new mail is there, so I can go check it.

I set that up last night and am thankful for the opportunity to do something good for myself – AND also for all the awesome comments here so far! Woohoo!

Wow, I really admire the fact that you can get your email inbox down to zero. I’ve never been able to do that.

I also have numerous folders for emails I want to save and have set up “rules” for other emails so they automatically go into their designated folders.

For e-newsletters, such as yours, I set a “read by” date in my Entourage to-do list. A reminder pops-up as that date gets closer. Other newsletters I’ve had to unsubscribe, especially the catalogs (place one order online and your committed electronically for life it seems.)

My worst habit is not responding to some emails that I intend to get back to later. Like you said, those emails wind up at the bottom of the pile and are easily forgotten. Something else to add to the to-do list.

Like many other things, it is a habit that requires some discipline but if you fall off course just start over again.

And congrats on the new blog!

It feels like a very proper and honouring thing to do, anyway.

I recently had the wonderful goodluck of having my computer crash, twice. The second time, I went gmail. I recovered my Outlook data in a PST file but… didn’t import it anywhere!

Then I googled “inbox zero” and learned all the tricky gmail tips for that, which others here have mentioned (actually, I have a google apps email account, but its more or less the same as gmail.)

It was REALLY fun having a REAL zero inbox for a couple of weeks. But now, because I’m human and I’m me, it’s getting back up to 30 or so.

As someone else said – at least it’s not the 3000 that used to be normal!

I also like that I can now check email on my iphone. It’s nice to be able to do something like that when I’m waiting for an appointment… *If* I want too.

And thanks so much for the reminder about not berating myself for checking email (…or for anything really!)

I’m imagining this comment as like a home-cooked quiche for your blograising party

Email clutter, oh my. Getting my inbox to zero is a pipe dream for me, but I have taken steps recently to make the monster more manageable.

-Deleted a bunch of work email

-Unsubscribed from a bunch of listservs & the like

-Created a gmail acct for personal email (I’m not fully switched over, but it helps!)

And some of my everyday habits include:

-Marking items as “unread” until I can get to them
-Not responding right away unless it’s important
-But responding fairly soon if it is, so I don’t forget or begin to put it off
-Shutting off digsby more often, so I’m not as tempted by the personal email alerts
-Filtering the occasional email into my calendar if it’s the end of the day or if the email is tied to an event or meeting
-Copious use of folders & filters in general

I’m inspired by seeing how others manage their email, and will give some of the additional ideas a try!

Thanks Jen!