Email Management

[eslerj at gmail.com (Joel Esler)]

On Jan 5, 2009, at 4:15 AM, Brian Seel allegedly wrote:

> As a recent college graduate who is wide eyed and ready to get out  
> into the big world and revolutionize everything (atleast, thats what  
> I think now), I have noticed that one of the biggest problems that  
> many security people have is email. While my experience is limited  
> to a handful of internships and my interactions with people I am  
> interviewing with, it seems like everyone has way too much email and  
> it takes away from their ability to do their job.
>
> So do you have any tips to get the information out while still  
> having time to do your job?
>
> As a follow up, how do you manage your time to keep up with news and  
> podcasts? Seems like that alone could take up all of your time  
> before you could even start to do anything.

Ah yes, one of my favorite subjects.

As I fancy myself a pretty good organization guy (digitally at  
least).  This is how I do it.

Email is client based.  Mail.app is it, It checks three different  
accounts for me.

Work
MobileMe
Gmail.

Work is all work.
MobileMe is for my family and friends
Gmail is for all listservers.

All three are checked every 30 minutes.  All listserver email goes  
into individual folders assigned to the list server.  That way, if I  
want to follow a thread, its easily done by going to the folder.  All  
other email stays in the inbox.  (All email that is not on listservers).

I check my listserver email about once a day.  (Since I just checked  
into my hotel, I am doing it now.)  I process the Inbox using a method  
called "Inbox Zero" from Merlin Mann.  A technique that I have seen  
mentioned by several other people on this thread already.

Basically, I read the email, if I don't need to reply to it, I file it  
into a massive folder called "Read".  I use a program called Mail Act- 
On to do this.
If I need to do something with it, including reply to it, I'll flag  
it, and make a To-Do, todo whatever it is I need to do.  Even if it's  
reply.  (While this seems stupid, sometimes, after I read 600 emails,  
I forget which ones I need to go reply to.)  Mail.app makes this easy  
by simply highlighting something in an email and clicking "To-Do".   
Which it does.

My To-Do's are synced with Omnifocus, which syncs with my iPhone.  If  
I have to jot down a note about something, I don't use the "Notes"  
feature within Mail.app, I use Evernote to take notes.  (http://www.evernote.com 
  -- I suggest this for anyone, once you start using it, you'll never  
stop)

So, when I go to visit a client, every email which contains important  
information about the client, maps, flights, hotels, car rentals,  
special requests, ideas, cell phone numbers, contacts..etc..  are all  
in a note in Evernote named with the client, which is synced between  
all computers and devices.  (and Evernote does OCR on pictures and  
stuff too, very nice -- anyway)

I typically get about 1000 emails a day, I check my Inbox several  
times a day, my listservers at least once a day (or whenever I can),  
and process the Inbox to Zero.  (Inbox Zero.)

I also make heavy use of Smart Folders within Mail.app as well.

Unread -- Contains all unread emails
Today -- Contains all emails sent or received today.
Past Two Days -- Duh
Flagged -- Contains all flagged email, regardless of folder or server  
or account.
Work -- anything sent to or from my corporate domain
Attachments -- anything containing an attachment.

As for news -- I do everything via RSS, which Mail.app drops right  
into my Inbox.

As for podcasts, I put them all in iTunes, which manages them all for  
me, and syncs them to my iPhone which I listen to in the car.  Done.

--
Joel Esler
?  http://www.joelesler.net
?  http://www.twitter.com/joelesler
[m]

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