Organizing E-mail

FROM: Paul
DATE: Sunday October 9, 2005 -- 9:54:28 am

At home, I do rely on Apple Mail's Spotlight to search old stuff - it helps me immensely. But I still organize things like this:

Inbox
Specific Website Folders
Oldies
Temporary Important

Inbox is always, always a "to do" list - I don't let things just sit there. The specific site folders are for the 482 sites I run - I just have a rule splitting automated messages from the sites up.

Oldies has subfolders for every year since I started using Mail, so they go back to 2001. I keep the current year's mail in the root Oldies folder and then shuffle it on down to its own folder at the end of the year.

Temporary Important includes online order info and the like - stuff I'll eventually file away.

All in all this system works well for me at home. I don't like subcategorizing things TOO much but like some organization. I can't stress enough how much having an always-on, freetext search helps me.

At work we use Outlook, and I try to keep the same layout but Outlook's "Advanced" Find really stinks and is slow.

FROM: Joseph
DATE: Sunday October 9, 2005 -- 3:40:29 pm

Has anyone translated The Daily Ping using Gizoogle? It translates everything into snoop talk and it's a riot.

Here's a taste of what it will do to today's otherwise boring ping.

Sippin' E-mail

A few weeks ago, someone asked me how I organized mah e-mail fo` maximum efficiency. Wit entirely too mizzle accounts ta check, it certainly is a bit of an ordeal, but let me outline how I handle mah main account . I started yo shit and i'll end yo' shit.

The inbox is used fo` mizzost chillin' mail . Put ya mutha fuckin choppers up if ya feel this.. Mail'n lists is filtered off ta a "mail'n lists" folda tizzy has cracka underneath fo` each list. Ideally, afta I reply ta an e-mail from someone I know, it is automatically moved out of tha inbox n into a gangsta fo` specifically thizzay person Baller a pimp "Individuals folda") cuz this is how we do it. Spam is filtered out ta shot calla folda, which I occasionally yet ANOTHER set of pimp on ta pull out e-mail that may hizzle been inappropriately classified. Unfortunatizzles mah inbox has grown a bit unwieldy as of late, so mah system's not perfect, but I'm generally able ta stay on top of th'n puttin tha smack down.

Here's a rough sketch of mah nigga hierarchy:

Inbox Probably S-P-to-tha-izzam Possibly Not Spizzam Read (theoretically fo` read, unsorted mail) Individuals Family individual killa fo` each person Hizzle Schoo` Friends College Friends etc if you gots a paper stack. Mail'n Lists individual mail'n list folda
There is a handful of brotha top-level baller that aren't used quite as frequently, but thizzat gives you a general overview droppin hits.

Some thugz say all mail should stay in yo inbox n you should be able ta sort n search ta find whizzat you need. But, fo` me, most frequently I need ta find e-mail fizzy a specific person n thizzay specific person may have had multiple e-mail addresses n they name listed differently on each account. Hav'n a separate folda fo` each person is tha mizzy efficient way ta deal wit this. Especially since I keep everyth'n (except spizzam n some mail'n lists). If you've sent me an e-mail since 1994, chances is I have it. And if you S-to-tha-izzent me one before thiznen, I may have it, too . You'se a flea and I'm the big dogg.

And, of course, filta play a big role . Aint no stoppin' this shit nigga. Fortunately The Bat! has tha most complex straight trippin' options of any mail client, so I hizzy a lot of flexibility in terms of automatically fil'n mah e-mail n shit.

E-mail can be a pain ta dizzle wit, but going in wit a bit of a plizzay helps.


"Bitch comments"

I'm gonna bust a gut!

FROM: Joseph
DATE: Sunday October 9, 2005 -- 3:44:29 pm

Gizoogle

FROM: Merle [E-Mail]
DATE: Sunday October 9, 2005 -- 9:38:22 pm

Yikes! I'll have to look when I'm at work, but I have probably 200 subfolders for email. (personal mail is on a unix box, where "folder" = "file", and I have several dozen). Seems I oversort things compared to most people.

FROM: Merle [E-Mail]
DATE: Sunday October 9, 2005 -- 9:40:11 pm

"No can do. If you're a legit person and see this error, write the Ping."

I was trying to say "folder" = = "file" (but without the space between the two equals signs). It gave that error. Just thought you'd want to know. I'm not sure if this counts as "write the ping", though...