I'm an 'almost empty Inbox' kinda-guy! My general rule is to try and keep it to approx. 20 items at most - whatever level is required to ensure there's no scroll bar in Outlook! I find if things drop below the bottom of the screen I tend to forget about them.
I've got a couple of discussions lists I'm involved in through committee I'm on and they all get filtered into a separate folder on arrival.
Any other incoming mail gets read and then dealt with and filed appropriately. If it still needs to be actioned it stays in the Inbox - red-flagged if really important (don't really use the other flags). Anything that has been dealt with but still needs me to ensure is followed-up goes into an Inbox sub-folder called Pending (e.g., awaiting reply at a future date once more information available, online orders awaiting delivery) - I check through this at least once a week (similar to how I manage my real-world papers - Inbox, Pending reply, For filing!).
In addition to sorting into folders I also use Copernic for searching - just find it much quicker than Outlook 2003 (I've got 2007 on my laptop but haven't upgraded the main machine yet).
One thing I haven't seen here that I do as part of my e-mail routine are auto-delete folders in my Outlook.
In addition to misc archive-folders and my to-do Inbox, I have a set of other folders I use to put stuff in:
1) Keep 1 Month
2) Keep 1 Year
3) Keep 2 Years
Whenever something comes in that I don't need right now, but might need at another time (but not forever like computer specials, some short-term information), I move it into these folders.
If I need it, I can always find it with the search function - otherwise I have Outlook set (through Auto-Archive) to delete contents in these folders after the set period of time.
I read about it in the Lifehacker book and after sorting through my large Inbox I noticed that much of the stuff I had in it was not needed any more. So I decided to use this system as part of my routine.
...now if it just would be that easy with paper documents...
Everything goes to the Archive folder with appropriate categories. Anything that needs to be dealt with, I'm waiting on, or just want to reference, a copy of it is left in the inbox with either the Action category, Hold category, or no category. After I'm done with the item in question in the inbox, it is deleted.
I sure hope that Microsoft implements Category syncing for email in a future (the sooner, the better) version of ActiveSync/WMDC/Exchange.
I use my Inbox as kind of a rolling task list. If it needs later attention, or I might need the info later then I leave it there. Otherwise, I delete it. The task list aspect of it is automatic, what you might call 'push' technology... that is, if it's something important, the person will email me again later and then I can say 'I was just about to get to that' and go ahead and do it. If it wasn't important enough for them to email again, then it wasn't really that important after all. About twice a year I go through and delete all the old messages, pleased with how much time I saved by ignoring all the trivial stuff people wanted me to do that I never did. :jester:
I like to be the empty-Inbox guy, but I end up being the somewhere-in-between guy. Work is very email intensive. I delete and file as much as I can on the spot. About once a week I go in and totally clean out the Inbox. I have a mobile email store about 200MB in size. I also have an archive of about 1GB dating back quite awhile.
I guess my approach is different from others'. I use a combination of the inbox, folders, and Outlook 2007's tasks, appointments and fast searching to manage my email:
When I read an email and I'm through with it, I move it to the appropriate folder. I seldom delete.
Emails I haven't yet read or finished with stay in the Inbox. I currently have 1,160 items in the Inbox, going back 6 months (after which time I have Outlook automatically archive them). It doesn't bug me because I can see only the newest 20 items or so unless I scroll down. Who cares what's not visible?
When an email comes that requires a reminder, I drag it to Tasks. This creates a Task that will sync with my Pocket PC (email reminders don't sync as far as I can tell). Same with emails that require an appointment. Then I drag the email to the appropriate folder. (Except that Tasks aren't synching since I upgraded to Outlook 2007. But that's another story.)
Outlook 2007's fast searching is terrific. When I'm looking for something I go to the folder where I think the email is located and type a word or two into the Search field at the top of the email list. Within a couple of seconds I can see all the matches in that folder. If it doesn't show up I click "Try searching again in All Mail Items". In a couple of seconds I have matches from all my folders and my archive files. This searching capability has made me much more productive.
I only keep emails until I've actioned on it, then I delete it.
In addition, on a company level we automatically delete emails older than three months. We can do this because we have a seperate archive system that captures all incomming/outgoing (internal included) email seperate to the Exhange 2007 system we use. This solution allows staff to search, forward, print etc. their archived mail via a web page.
Having an organized mailbox is not about the need to be... well organized. It is all about being productive and not spending so much time finding your way through things. Without sounding like a sales pitch, the Nelson Email Organizer change my life a couple of years ago and I have never gone back to the original GUI of Outlook. It works with Outlook and Outlook must be open for it to work, but thats where the interaction with Outlook ends for email. It is a tasks list, category folders, prioritizer, and everything else I need with an easy to set up main screen that show everything I need to see. If you want a new life with email, give it a try.
My inbox is like my desk. If it is messy and there are papers all over the place, it drives me crazy and I can't concentrate on the task at hand. The longest an email will sit in my inbox is 1 day. If I haven't been able to action it by the next day (usually this is because I am waiting on answers or information from my Head Office), I put it in a "pending" folder where it very rarely stays for 2 or 3 days.
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