Inbox Zero

What Hacker News says

1. scottyallenMay 2011
   I came to grips with the fact that I'm a terrible multitasker, and that I'm easily distracted. Thus, I now only work on one thing at a time. That includes email, IM, surfing the web, and any other sources of distractions. I only check email 1-2 times per day, and try to respond to as much of it as possible when I do check it. Check out Merlin Mann's Inbox Zero for how to efficiently deal with your inbox.

   I'm also a big fan of Tim Ferriss's idea of limiting the amount of information you consume. The more HN I read, the more talk shows I listen to the radio, the more twitter I read through, the stuff that's competing for attention in my head. The big realization for me was that the cost of doing these things wasn't just the time I spend doing them, but also the brainshare they take up, once I've moved back to doing something productive.

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2. noirbotFeb 2022
   This is also just a complete misread of the original Inbox Zero talk, and something Merlin Mann complains about every time he tries a new email app that does confetti when you hit "inbox zero". He himself is a deep GTD/David Allen acolyte anyway, but at this point people's misread of what "inbox zero" means is too mainstream and cargo culted.
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3. dasil003Nov 2018
   No, Merlin Mann distanced himself from Inbox Zero once it got picked up by the productivity porn blogger crowd who reduced it to yet another lifehack and lost the spirit of the idea which is that your inbox should not be your todo list because then you lose agency over your own priorities.
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4. dreevesJul 2010
   Thanks fragmede!

   Specific responses:

   * Man, it never occurred to me that the straw poll looks like an ad but you're totally right. Not sure how to fix that.

   * I agree about Delete vs Archive but that's not actually my list.

   * Good point about the split Inbox Zero link, though it's really just a compromise: I think Jeremy Zawodny's succinct post is better but Merlin Mann's site is more official (and Inbox Zero is Merlin Mann's idea so I can't not link to him).

   * Point taken about the weird mix of generality and specifics. I did want to give a full spec for the UI and tried to isolate that in the Nitty Gritty section (and the appendix).

   * I guess the "auto-expire 999" thing was like if you wanted to get yourself in the habit of picking an auto-expiration window for every single email. You're right though. I'll either make that point better or drop it. [done; better?]

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5. nickbMay 2008
   I think you're approaching it from a wrong point of view. You don't have a browsing problem, you have an issue with getting things done or you have a procrastination problem. This is why I have little use for all the apps that tell me how much time I'm spending on diff sites / programs. That data is useful and interesting but it's not good for solving your procrastination issue since you already know you have a problem!

   I found this essay interesting: http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/ It shows you how procrastination has some hidden benefits. Give it a read.

   Now, how do I cope with info out there. Well, every morning I give myself a set of tasks that I want to accomplish that day (if you have a boss... he will do a part of that for you I guess). I almost always start with the hardest thing on the list or with something that's time sensitive (like call someone at 11am etc) and I break it up into smaller tasks as I go along. The rule is that I am not available for chat, email etc. until I'm done with the big task. I do not browse the web for anything that's not related to the task. Until that task is done, I do not touch email or the browser. Now, once I'm done with it or I'm stuck, I take a walk for few minutes or I jump into the second task on the list. Funny thing is, as you start doing something else, very quickly you start getting ideas about the old problem. If I get an idea about how to solve my previous task, I go back to it and then go back to the task I was doing before. If most of your tasks involve programming, get git and it will be a godsend to you since it lends itself perfectly to this model of working.

   Once I'm done with a big task, I take 30-40 min off and I check my RSS feeds, I check HN, check email etc. I check email only 3 times a day. I find it extremely distracting if I check email more often. Email eats up too much of my time. If you're an email junkie, look into Merlin Mann's Inbox Zero concept:

   http://www.43folders.com/izero http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=973149761529535925

   Also, take a look at this hack: http://www.43folders.com/2005/10/11/procrastination-hack-102... It's a method to get you in the mode of working on something so you acclimate yourself to work.

   In the end, it comes down to strong will. Just force yourself to do something!

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