Email Overloaded » Analogies

How much interest do you pay on your email?

Itzy Sabo — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 07:01:58 +0000

Merlin Mann is doing a series on keeping your inbox level down. I like what he has to say about leaving a message in your inbox without acting on it / filing it / deleting it:

Just remember that every email you read, re-read, and re-re-re-re-re-read as it sits in that big dumb pile is actually incurring mental debt on your behalf. The interest you pay on email you’re reluctant to deal with is compounded every day and, in all likelihood, it’s what’s led you to feeling like such a useless slacker today. Maybe? Think about it.

Information Overload is like Drinking from a Firehose

Itzy Sabo — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 08:00:05 +0000

Blogger and author J Wynia came up with a great analogy for how we are constantly bombarded with such a wealth of information that we often drown in it. He is writing a book entitled “Drinking From the Firehose” about how to deal with the daily deluge of email, mailing lists, SPAM and RSS feeds.

J also has a novel approach to resolving the dispute over whether a glass is half full or half empty. It takes an open mind to come up with this stuff.

Use a Rifle, Not a Shotgun

Itzy Sabo — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 10:22:48 +0000

In my post that shows how the Kitty Genovese murder can teach us to use email more effectively, I urge people to identify the relevant individuals and send requests to those people only. Guy Kawasaki sums this up in a very vivid and succinct manner:

“Use a rifle, not a shotgun.”