Massively Useful Resource: Inbox Zero

I’ve always hated being asked who my personal heroes are. But, if pressed, I’m willing to name two: David Allen, of Getting Things Done (GTD) fame, and Merlin Mann, the guy behind the truly great resource blog, 43 Folders. Allen’s book of the same name has achieved cult status; richly deserved, too. It may be the most helpful book on organization I’ve ever read. Mann’s 43 Folders is one of the reasons I love to open Bloglines every day. He always has something useful if you’re looking to improve your productivity.

So, without further ado, Massively Useful Resource:

Inbox Zero is Mann’s continuing series on getting control of your email inbox. It’s among his best work, synthesizing some of the GTD concepts with a variety of other approaches to stay on top of an avalanche of email. He covers software and techniques, all of which are helpful, but I think his best work is in addressing the right attitudes with which to approach email – what email is for, how do plow through it, what’s important and what’s not.

I’ve followed the series religiously and added several of the techniques to my own arsenal, and the result is an email inbox with 7 items today, compered to the 50-100 emails I used to be dragging behind me. My system is far from perfect but I’ve not only been able to take care of my email faster, I’ve also felt more organized and more in control than ever, and that improves one’s sense of well-being immeasurably.

I recommend both 43 Folders and Allen’s book!