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My GTD workflow for Gmail V2

Jul 16, ’10 9:43 PM
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As I noted in a previous post, working in Google has forced me to rethink my entire email management system. I’ve worked in Google for just under 6 months and I’ve received just shy of 20,000 emails. My previous GTD workflow utilised labels and multiple inboxes in Gmail to create a cascading workflow system. Although this resulted in significant productivity gains, it was by no means perfect. I’ve since refined the workflow and I would like to share it below. As always, this is a work in progress and I’d love to hear of new and improved ways to manage emails, so please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Issues with V1: The primary issue with V1 of my workflow related to the way in which labels were applied to messages.

  1. A label relates to an entire email thread as opposed to an individual message in a thread.
  2. Labels are cumbersome – it takes several seconds to apply to a message thread.

Superstars replace labels: Because of the issues I outlined above, I’ve decided to use a Gmail lab called ‘Superstars’. The standard Gmail star feature provides you with a binary option – on or off. Superstars enable you to apply one of a range of stars by repetitively clicking and cycling through the options. It addresses both of the downsides I outlined above.

  1. Superstars can be applied to individual messages
  2. Superstars can be applied to messages much faster than labels can.

As messages arrive into my inbox, I scan them and if required, apply one of the following Superstars.

  • Don’t leave the office without doing
  • Requires Action Now
  • Delegated or Expecting Response
  • Requires Action Soon

I’ve used a Gmail labs feature called ‘Multiple Inboxes’ to organise my inbox into 4 main categories. You can do so my copy and pasting the following query strings into the Multiple Inbox settings.

  • has:green-check
  • has:red-bang
  • has:orange-guillemet
  • has:yellow-bang
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Cinnamon Chasers – Luv Deluxe (Music Video)

Apr 13, ’10 6:08 PM
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Winner of the SXSW 2010 – Best Music Video Award.
Music: Luv Deluxe by Cinnamon Chasers

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My GTD workflow for Gmail

Apr 6, ’10 11:30 PM
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Update: I have posted an update to this article entitled ‘My GTD workflow for Gmail V2‘.

Soon after joining Google I realised how easily one can become overloaded with emails. I receive north of 300 emails a day and I quickly found that I was overwhelmed with email management. It was at that point I decided rethink my email management system. The following article will outline the system that works for me. It’s worth noting that everyone is different and the system that will work for you will undoubtedly be different. However, I hope you can take something from the logic and methods I share in the rest of this article.

I use the following Gmail features extensively. You will need to familiarise yourself with these features before proceeding.

  • Labels – Regular Gmail users will be familiar with labels. If you are an Outlook user then labels will require a slight change in thinking. The key difference between labels and folders is that an email can have multiple labels applied to it, whereas an email can only ever be placed in one folder. Additionally, folders can be nested within each other whereas labels cannot. You can find more information in the Gmail Help Centre.
  • Multiple Inbox – You can enable Multiple inboxes within the labs feature in Gmail. You can find more information at the Official Gmail Blog.

Labels – In rethinking the way I manage my emails, I decided to use a workflow process. The general concept is that emails flow into my inbox and are then assigned at least one of the following labels:

  • *follow-up
  • *to-review

Multiple Inbox – I used the following search queries in setting up my Multiple Inbox.

  • label:star AND (label:*follow-up OR label:*to-review OR label:drafts)
  • label:*follow-up -label:starred
  • label:*to-review -label:starred

Keeping my Inbox Empty - One of the most important aspects of my GTD email management system is keeping my inbox empty. I open my inbox 3 times per day: 9am, 1pm and 5pm. At this point I flick through my inbox and assign appropriate labels to the email. For instance, if my manager send asks me to follow up with a particular customer I will apply the label *follow-up and then archive it. If a colleague sends me a troubleshooting guide I will apply the label *to-review and then archive it. Regardless of what label I do or do not apply, I always archive the message so that my inbox is always empty.

Quick Tip - I use Gmail keyboard shortcuts extensively when flicking through my emails. By pressing the ] key the message is archived and you are immediatly brought to the next message. Note you must enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail Settings.

Star messages you want to take action on today – Every morning I scan through all my *to-review and *follow-up messages to see what messages I want to take action on during this particular day. Based on my multiple inbox settings, the messages that are starred will appear in the “To-Do Today” inbox as shown below:

Conclusion – I find this workflow works for me as I can sift through large amounts of emails quickly whilst retaining focus on the items that need action. I use the multiple inbox feature as a workflow management system – such that email flow into my inbox, through my labels and ultimately into the starred inbox where I take action on that item.

Drawbacks – I would like to see the multiple inbox feature update automatically without the need for me to click the refresh button.

I’d be very interested to hear of any other Gmail GTD systems that you use. Please let me know in the comments below.

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