Nick DeNardis

User experience, code, higher education, analytics and accessibility.

Inbox zero obsession reduces productivity

Always being concerned about that next email, IM or todo list item can really hinder the GTD mentality. Melitiously keeping your inbox at zero and clearing IM’s and email as soon as they come in just to feel fulfilled is really distracting.

I keep my inbox at zero pretty much at all times, the downside is when emails start to come in it is hard they are hard to ignore. They are like that one dead pixel or that zit that just came out or no where. You just want to get rid of it as soon as possible and move on.

Just when you get it moved to a task or respond here comes another one. I have decided to only check for new email every three hours and clean it to zero before another three hour block of work.

Being so efficient doesn’t always pay off, I am going to opt for the distraction less few hours during the day to see if it helps out.