Judging by a few comments and numerous carbuncular emails, some folks think this is a big fat copout. Uh…no. It’s actually not. Re-read the post. Everybody catch this part?

You still need to deal with all the emails in your DMZ folder

The idea is not to permanently abandon the emails in your temporary DMZ folder; the idea is simply to STOP blowing off new emails as a result of feeling intractably behind. The unstated prologue to curing Broken Windows Syndrome is that you need to start by not breaking any new windows. Same idea here.

So, yeah. Let’s try to see this for what it is, rather than flaking on what an irresponsible ghoul it turns you into. I’ve taught this trick to people with 5000 emails in their inbox. Did it magically get the 5000 emails dismissed? Nope — that’s a totally different problem to solve. What it did do was ensure that the next day didn’t close with 5100 unprocessed emails, or that their week didn’t conclude with 6000 emails sitting there, etc. The flow of blood was staunched. That’s all it does.

Like most of my crap advice this is not intended as an international panacea, and it definitely won’t rescue your baby from a well. Your mileage may vary, some anal leakage may occur, and, please, no glass containers or flash photography during the final ten minutes of the show.

Thank you, as ever, for your sweetly faked attention.

— The Management