February 14, 2013
Ask 5 different people how they manage their inboxes and you’ll get 5 different responses. Some treat their inboxes as a to do list, while others swear by their filters and filters for their filters. When creating the visual inbox that makes Birdseye unique, this is a question that we had to vist and revisit multiple times.
Here are some highlights from conversations with our team members.
Garland: I keep my email open on a tab all day, and check it periodically. I (almost obsessively) filter my email. I use filters for companies I do work for, with sub filters of projects. Emails from my friends, and family each have their own filter. Filters help automatically delete things I don’t care to read. :)
Ted: I immediately answer work emails as evidenced by this reply. Personal emails take a day or two. I guess inbox zero is possible, but I agree with Frahad that it’s not necessary, and doesn’t automatically mean that you’re more organized. I guess the real priority is finding priority and relevance to email and focusing on that.
Adam:My email response time depends on who sends them. - If it’s job, school, or friends ASAP. Family stuff takes 24 hours at best, 3 days at worst. Inbox zero is possible but is more a question of personal preference I agree with whoever that author was that stated Inbox Zero can feel lonely/like you’re unimportant.
HJ: I’ve never really used email as a to-do list. I have an odd habit of writing to do lists on napkins. I also don’t know how to use filters.. And yet I usually reply so quickly, I’m almost always at email zero.
