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Inbox Zero: Delete, delete, delete (or, "Fail faster")
Merlin Mann | Mar 14 2006
This post is part of the Inbox Zero series. Do you have a sloppy relationship with the messages in your life? Be honest. Do you tend to see every new email as a virtual hug that must be reciprocated? Do you keep emails in your inbox for weeks or months even though you know in your heart of hearts that you have no intention of ever responding to them? If so, it’s dragging you down if you ever hope to hit “zero” in this lifetime. Mentioned briefly yesterday, it bears repeating: delete, my friend. Delete, delete, delete. The first and most workmanlike filter in your email processing scheme must involve very quickly deciding whether a given message can be deleted or archived immediately upon receipt. This, Grasshopper, is the dirtiest of dirty little secrets in the “Inbox Zero” fu book. Because once you can reduce the amount of hay in your particular stack, the needles start revealing themselves like shiny little diamonds. Kill junk, kill pseudo-junk, and then kill all the stuff you won’t ever respond to. Whatever’s left is yours to return. That’s where your actual, useful job lives. Believe it or not, deleting fast and well is actually one of the most difficult skills to master, since it requires you to be straight with yourself starting from the moment a new message arrives. Is there an action here? Will you really respond to this email? Or, will you, more likely, just let it sit there for an hour or a day or a decade while you ruminate upon its ontological significance? Will you put it into some lame “holding” folder where notional Magick Things might transform it into something more interesting to you? Feh. Just remember that every email you read, re-read, and re-re-re-re-re-read as it sits in that big dumb pile is actually incurring mental debt on your behalf. The interest you pay on email you’re reluctant to deal with is compounded every day and, in all likelihood, it’s what’s led you to feeling like such a useless slacker today. Maybe? Think about it. So, seriously, if you’re not going to do anything with a message, just get it out of your sight, and make room for the actionable messages in your life. Delete it, or — if you’re a big chicken like me — archive it. In any case, remember that if this were something you really wanted to and could respond to, you would have done it the second it arrived. Jedi trick: When this particular attitude on response and deletion moves from “interesting speculative theory” to “how you operate,” you’ll no longer have to fear and despise the delete key and what it potentially says about your slackitude. Responding may be better than deleting, but deleting is way better than first slacking for 6 months then finally, reluctantly deleting. Concentrate on deletion as a way to thin the herd and fail faster. If the little voice says “You’re never going to answer this,” consider listening. If the little voice is wrong, respond then and there, no exceptions. 11 Comments
POSTED IN:
 [...] Delete it, move on,...Submitted by Inbox Zero: Five sneaky email cheats | 43 Folders (not verified) on March 17, 2006 - 4:29am.
[…] Delete it, move on, and don’t look back. See also: Inbox Zero: Delete, delete, delete (or, “Fail faster”) […] » POSTED IN:
[...] Delete, delete,delete (or, “Fail...Submitted by The PC Doctor » Blog Archive » Coping with email (not verified) on March 16, 2006 - 6:43am.
[…] Delete, delete,delete (or, “Fail faster”) […] » POSTED IN:
[...] Inbox Zero: Delete, delete,...Submitted by blogdriverswaltz.com » Blog Archive » links for (not verified) on March 15, 2006 - 12:21pm.
[…] Inbox Zero: Delete, delete, delete (or, “Fail faster”) | 43 Folders Words to live by: “Just remember that every email you read, re-read, and re-re-re-re-re-read as it sits in that big dumb pile is actually incurring mental debt on your behalf.” (tags: email lifesuckage) […] » POSTED IN:
Next Chapter of Inbox Zero...Submitted by Achieve-IT! (not verified) on March 15, 2006 - 6:18am.
Next Chapter of Inbox Zero Added: Delete, delete, delete (or, Fail faster)… … » POSTED IN:
Decide RIGHT NOW... In this post,...Submitted by Worth Every Penny...and you're getting it for free. (not verified) on March 15, 2006 - 8:11am.
Decide RIGHT NOW… In this post, Millard Mann talks about the importance of deciding RIGHT AWAY to delete a new e-mail message. If we allow a message to clutter our inbox with junk or our psyches with a vague sense of “maybe I…… » POSTED IN:
[...] Merlin Mann is doing...Submitted by Email Overloaded » How much interest do you pay on you (not verified) on March 18, 2006 - 6:14am.
[…] Merlin Mann is doing a series on keeping your inbox level down. I like what he has to say about leaving a message in your inbox without acting on it / filing it / deleting it: Just remember that every email you read, re-read, and re-re-re-re-re-read as it sits in that big dumb pile is actually incurring mental debt on your behalf. The interest you pay on email you’re reluctant to deal with is compounded every day and, in all likelihood, it’s what’s led you to feeling like such a useless slacker today. Maybe? Think about it. […] » POSTED IN:
[...] As someone with 973...Submitted by Fishing Among the Mangroves » Blog Archive » Bre (not verified) on March 18, 2006 - 6:21pm.
[…] As someone with 973 messages in her inbox, which doesn’t include the messages in the 20+ subfolders, I should probably read 43 Folder’s advice for achieving Inbox Zero. […] » POSTED IN:
Inbox Zero... Merlin Mann's 43 Folders...Submitted by David Ogren's BPM Blog (not verified) on March 19, 2006 - 4:59pm.
Inbox Zero… Merlin Mann’s 43 Folders website has been running a series of articles recently called Inbox Zero. If you use email at work, which is probably everyone reading this, you should read these articles. My current favorites are 5 Sneaky Email…… » POSTED IN:
PigPogPDA - A Moleskine Hacked...Submitted by PigPog (not verified) on March 20, 2006 - 8:58am.
PigPogPDA - A Moleskine Hacked into a Complete System… See Also nowMap - my latest simple system - a quick overview of what you’re doing now, on a single sheet. Latest Update: Rolled the ‘numbered pages’ variation up into the main text - it worked well, probably better than using all … » POSTED IN:
[...] 2) Leftovers Logic. I...Submitted by StephTheGeek » The State of The Steph (not verified) on March 21, 2006 - 9:10am.
[…] 2) Leftovers Logic. I like to call it this because it’s a nice, simple example. See, I hate leftovers. But I always keep them, because there’s that small chance I might eat them. And maintaining a small chance is better than instantly admitting failure, right? Maybe. This drove it home for me when I read about the same logic as applied to email. So I get myself into this state, where I can’t focus, but instead of putting a period, making myself take a break and actually doing something else, I just sit there and putter around online, thinking that I’ll magically kick into gear. Then I get even more pissed at myself for not doing it. So, what I’m going to do now, even if it’s not the most important or urgent thing, is do something else. Cleaning, site stuff, watch a movie, return phone calls, whatever. […] » POSTED IN:
[...] The previous version of...Submitted by William.Blog() » Blog Archive » ClearContext Evo (not verified) on March 22, 2006 - 11:59am.
[…] The previous version of ClearContext helped by prioritizing your inbox and filing actioned emails quickly and easily, but a question still remained: How do I deal with emails that require action but haven’t been actioned yet? You have deleted the ones you don’t intend to action, haven’t you? […] » POSTED IN:
About Merlin Mann Bio Merlin Mann is an independent writer, speaker, and broadcaster. He’s best known for being the guy who started the website you’re reading right now. He lives in San Francisco, does lots of public speaking, and helps make cool things like You Look Nice Today. Also? He looks like this, answers questions, and has something like a life. |
| EXPLORE 43Folders | THE GOOD STUFF |
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Inbox ZeroThe original 43 Folders series looking at the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your email inbox — and then keep it that way. Don’t miss the free video of Merlin’s Inbox Zero presentation. Making Time3-part series on attention management for artists and makers. Read Bad Correspondence, The Job You Think You Have, and One Clear Line. |
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