43 Folders

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Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.

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43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

Desktop or web-based email?

After getting used to Gmail 3 years ago, I swore I'd stick to web-based email. With IMAP now available, I set it up last week in Apple's Mail client on my desktop to integrate better with offline storage, emailing links, etc, and found myself changing my ways.

It wasn't easy: The initial download took forever and I had to work at getting Apple's Junk Filters to cooperate. (I.e., still work on the 2 POP accounts I check in Mail while leaving Gmail's already filtered mail alone).

I'm a convert. I used to open a browser window with three tabs: Google homepage, RSS, and Gmail and check it throughout the day. Now I'm in Mail only when I need to be, and ignore RSS and news until it occurs to me to catch up.

I did really like the Gmail interface, with conversations, shortcuts, etc, but I've been trying to make Safari my full-time browser and it wasn't playing nice. I've found a surge of productivity by sticking to the desktop.

How do others find web-based vs. desktop email to impact their productivity?

direwolf's picture

email

The power of Gmail for me is the label / search facility (oh, and the superb spam filter) and just being able to chuck everything into one big 'archive' knowing that it's easily retrievable.

The only downside is that with the web browser open, I often tend to wander off & idly browse when I shouldn't be doing, but I can work on that :o)

I prefer desktop based clients for feel but as I also use the Google calendar, it makes sense to stay in the browser.

I've tried to use Outlook but I've only got Office 2K & it's a bit clunky on there - don't want to shell out for the latest Office, would rather put the money towards a Mac.

 
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