How to keep email functional?

December 8, 2014 10:41 AM

I used to be an inbox-zero person, but I can't do it any more.; I simply don't have the time. I've got a vast army of filters in use already. I just need a workable system for using email. Client & gmail etc etc inside.

We use corporate gmail at work. I despise the gmail interface deeply. I like a mail client. Mail.app has always worked reasonably well. Now using 7.3 on OSX 10.9.5, and there are problems. However the client maintains indices, it gets confused with large volumes of mail, making search not work and some threads appear incorrectly. Every couple weeks or so I need to rm ~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/Envelope\ Index* and have it rebuild.

I may have as many as a hundred different folders (with depths to probably 4 or 5 at the most), with maybe one or two dozen being fed by robots.

In my inbox-zero life, I'd manually move messages from the inbox to the appropriate folder when I no longer needed them in my face.

I have many projects with lots of workmates around lots of timezones, and simply too much email to keep up inbox-zero.

One piece of advice I've been given is to "just use gmail", meaning the web interface (which I hate), and rely on their search for finding things.

Is there a better mail client out there? Something more suited to very large volumes of mail? Some better way to use gmail?

Other ideas?

posted by colin_l to Work & Money (9 answers total)

In Gmail's web interface, couldn't you just "archive" everything you don't still need to see? I know people who still do "zero inbox" and they do it by archiving everything that they either won't respond to or have finished responding to. That way, the email isn't gone forever, you don't need to spend the time sorting it, but it also isn't still displayed in your default inbox. To explain if you're unfamiliar, in Gmail you can "archive" email and it leaves your inbox view, but it will still be displayed when you press "all mail." You can even keep unread email in the archive, if you still want to know what you've read and haven't read without having it shown in your inbox. "All mail" will be on the left-hand side of the web interface, but may be hidden under the word "more." You can change your settings to display "all mail" by default without having to click "more." If you like the idea of folders, you can also add "labels" to your mail in Gmail's web interface. Labels are like folders, but better because you can apply multiple labels to one email without it being tucked away in just one folder. Combining labels with archiving may work for you. All email will just be in "all mail."

As for alternatives to the Gmail web version, I have used Mozilla's Thunderbird, which seems to sync up well with Gmail and seems designed to work very well with Gmail. I believe it supports normal folders and traditional inbox interface that you seem to prefer. I'd check it out. It's a very popular desktop client.
posted by AppleTurnover at 11:06 AM on December 8, 2014

I'm in a similar situation, but have Outlook (which I've gotten customized to work pretty well for me). For the projects portion, if you have the emails in there just to remind you of where you are in each project and the next step(s), what I do is keep a running spreadsheet with a tab for each project. I then add the steps in order for each project on each tab and have two sections: open and complete. I then spend 30-60 minutes at the end of the day updating the sheet, based on what's been done that day, and file the related emails in their proper folders. It helps me keep track of the projects in a way that I can provide a quick update whenever I'm asked, but don't have 60 emails in my box to remind me where I am on each one and what I need to do next.

You could do something similar with a Tasks function, but I don't know much about Gmail to tell you how to do that.
posted by RogueTech at 11:08 AM on December 8, 2014

I use GMail and I like it, but I do not think the search is so great. You still need to know the key words to search for or search by sender, etc. I use the filters extensively. I send every email to a folder. The only items that go through my inbox are from first time senders to me or one off senders. This allows me to pre-search. To set it up so I know where to look for it. I will also put multiple labels on certain types of emails.

I have also created some "Quick Links" which I think is a lab feature. They are essentially searches I do often enough to say to myself, didn't I just do that search. I also created a quick link for all Unread items. This way even if it is labeled and not in the inbox, I can see what needs to be looked at and potentially addressed. While my goal is to have zero unread, rarely do I get to it, but I know how many there are unread and sort of track my progress that way.

I have tried both Thunderbird and Outlook for my GMail. I did not like it. Outlook doesn't do well with large volumes. The pst file gets too large and then you need to archive. Thunderbird was ok, but it was not an improvement for me over using the GMail web interface.

For my phone, I wanted to see "All Mail" from a widget icon. That did not seem possible so I created a folder that is called "Every" (natch) then I set up a filter that labels every single email I get as "Every" so I can sort of see a stock ticker of my emails on my phone. (Galaxy S4)

I also got Boomerang for GMail. This is a pretty good app that can either send a reminder email or pop back up if no response within a certain time frame, etc. There is a free version and a "pro" one. I have the free version.
posted by 724A at 11:45 AM on December 8, 2014

The BBC program Click just had an item on this. One of their staff maintains a zero inbox.
Go here.
posted by PickeringPete at 11:57 AM on December 8, 2014

Response by poster: Interesting. I may have a flawed definition of "inbox zero". I almost never have unread email. I have no problem reading (or skimming) everything. I'd been using "inbox zero" to mean and *empty* inbox, so only actionable emails are hanging out in there.

I think my problem is more about sorting and storing read emails for future reference.
posted by colin_l at 12:03 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you're on a Mac, you should try Mailbox. I've been a user since they first launched their beta many months ago, and it's the first email client that helped me actually manage my inbox. Disclaimer: I started working at Dropbox a week ago, but I've been a Mailbox fan for much longer than that.
posted by AaRdVarK at 1:51 PM on December 8, 2014

I'm not sure if I explained myself correctly, but I work with people who archive all their mail except the actionable emails. In a sense, their inbox becomes their to-do list, while all of their email remains out of view but still in tact in the "all mail" archive. Worth a try, especially considering how popular and ubiquitous Gmail for offices has become.
posted by AppleTurnover at 4:42 PM on December 8, 2014

Google's Inbox*might* work for you. They added a 'done' button so you can sweep away individual emails or whole categories (for example I mark everything in the promo category as 'done' after a quick scan and a single click, whereas before I used to select the messages and click 'mark as read' instead. The messages marked as 'done' are still searchable in the usual way. They also added a 'snooze' function so you can schedule messages to return at a later time as reminders.

It took a few weeks for me to switch over to working that way with gmail (I have used inbox-zero/GTD type workflow in outlook for work for years), but I think it's a definite improvement and it sounds like it's closer to the way you want to work.
posted by TwoWordReview at 5:12 PM on December 8, 2014

Incidentally I've found that most people use inbox-zero the way you use it - ie if it's still in your inbox (whether it's read or not) then some action is required - otherwise it gets filed away.
posted by TwoWordReview at 5:16 PM on December 8, 2014