I’ve long subscribed to the daily ideal of inbox zero, and I work towards it based on the ideas on productivity in the book Getting Things Done by David Allen.
So it has been fascinating to me to see a monthly analysis of my email activity through Gmail Meter.
I really don’t know how this volume stacks up with others, but I think I get a whole lot of email, and it sure it satisfying to keep it in check.
For the month of January 2013, I got 5,688 emails from 1,186 people, and I sent 1,182 emails to 227 people.
My inbound email tends to hit a peak around lunchtime, so no wonder I usually eat at my desk.
My email decreases, but doesn’t take off on weekends, and I tend to stay on top of it 7 days a week. I’d have a case of the Mondays every Monday otherwise.
When it comes to Getting Things Done, I consistently try to adhere to David Allen’s Two-Minute Rule: if there’s anything you need to do soon that can be done in two minutes or less, do it now.
About 20% of my email responses happen in less than 5 minutes from the time I’ve received an email.
I’d say one of the keys to my productivity is in being succinct with my messages. If only everybody else would economize on their words. 😉
Oh no, I’ve gotten three new emails since I started writing this. Gotta run, so I can reply and have good stats for this month.