Is this the end to my email nightmare? [VIDEO]
Raise your hand if you like getting email. I'm betting there's a lot less of you with your hands raised today than there were 3 or 4 years ago.
Me personally? Email is a complete nightmare. It's not that I don't enjoy receiving emails or even communicating via email. I still love that. It's quick and easy and I can do it on my own schedule.
But I just get way, way, way too much email. And even with management programs like Inbox Zero, I am still overwhelmed trying to keep up.
And I'm getting tired of starting all of my email replies with "I apologize it has taken me so long to respond."
Enter Gmail Priority Inbox
A couple of days ago I read about this woman who said the problem with email is that it is sorted by delivery date not priority. She apparently tricked out her email so that the most important emails always appear at the top of her inbox. So even if an email was delivered 10 seconds ago, if it wasn't important it went to the bottom of the inbox.
Before I even had a chance to wonder how I could integrate such a system myself, I came across this video:
If you can not see the embedded video player above please use the following link: Gmail Priority Inbox
To say I am anxiously awaiting this new feature would be the understatement of the year.
10 comments for this blog post so far...
September 07, 2010 at 5:50 am
Heather!
I’ve been using it! It’s a great concept, especially because once a piece of mail is relegated to page two of my inbox or beyond it might as well be deleted; if I don’t see it, I don’t handle it. I love the idea of prioritizing incoming mail, but it does seem that it might take a while to ‘train’ the program to recognize what’s important to me. However, I’ve already seen evidence that it is working. I think I’m gonna love the Priority Inbox!!
September 07, 2010 at 6:29 am
Daniel Curry
I just found this available in my gmail inbox, today. So far, I like it!
September 07, 2010 at 7:02 am
Robby Slaughter
No, it’s a terrible idea. I wrote a blog post about it here:
http://www.slaughterdevelopment.com/2010/09/02/gmail-priority-a-sad-tragedy/
September 07, 2010 at 8:05 am
Patric Welch
Robby, we may have to agree to disagree on this one. Unsubscribing to emails is not a solution for me. There are dozens of emails I receive that I WANT to receive but don’t necessarily want or need to respond to with any kind of priority. For me, having a system place high priority emails at the top of my inbox is a HUGE improvement. I love Priority Inbox.
September 07, 2010 at 9:20 am
Adam
I have to full-heartedly agree with you on this Patric. My wife and I have been using Priority Inbox for nearly a week now and absolutely love it! In fact my wife sent me a text a few days ago saying, “Priority Inbox rocks my world.” (I think we need to get out more) I think that says it all!
September 07, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Robby Slaughter
Patric and Adam, I think it really depends on your workflow. If you’re going to check Facebook every day regardless of whether or not you get an email notification, then you don’t need to receive those notifications. If you like to visit a website to read their latest stories, subscribe to their RSS feed instead of their email newsletter.
Finally, if you really prefer to receive some messages in email but don’t want to deal with them when they come in, you should set up your own rules. Relying on Priority Inbox to manage it for you only invites us to receive too much email.
If your email truly is “a nightmare,” why will having an automated tool that hides much of your email make it any better?
September 07, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Patric Welch
Robby, full heartedly agree with you on Facebook updates. Usually I just delete them knowing I am going to be going to Facebook at some time during the day and will see the badge notifications there.
However, I do not agree with you on setting up your own rules. Yes, it is more custom. Yes, it is exactly what you want. But if Priority Inbox gets it right 80% of the time and I just have to click an “Important” or “Not Important” button for the remaining 20% to train it so be it.
September 09, 2010 at 12:18 am
Stacey
Patric, I totally agree with you. I am not a “junkie” who feels compelled to read every “quote of the day” from my sister, “joke of the day” from my friend, as well as save every coupon and “special offer” JUST IN CASE! I AM overwhelmed by sheer volume, as most people seem to be. However, I’m NOT curled up in a corner with my ‘wubby’, terrified of confronting my inbox. Perhaps Robby has found a way to eliminate the middle-ground, but the majority of my email inbox falls somewhere in that murky cavern, and I don’t have the patience to micromanage it away. Thus Priority Inbox, to me, is a great tool, because I can refine as I go.
I see this issue as more akin to Caller-ID with CallBlocker: Some calls you will ALWAYS answer (maybe even on the first ring!); Telemarketers, for me, will ALWAYS get the pre-recorded voice warning them of the doom that awaits if they dare to bother me again. Then there is the middle-ground: some days I have time to listen to Aunt Sally’s stories; other times she goes to voicemail, knowing I’ll get back to her when I can. If I were to answer and put her on HOLD until she hangs up, THAT would be “hiding” [the inconvenient] as Robby refers to prioritizing. It’s just never that black-and-white!
September 10, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Patric Welch
Stacey, great analogy to the telephone. After using Priority Inbox for several days now, I am absolutely 100% in love with it!
September 10, 2010 at 3:50 pm
stacey
So am I, after just a few days. As always, Noobie doesn’t disappoint! Thanks Patric.
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