I Absolutely Hate Dealing With Email

Summary

The video script discusses the challenges of email management, highlighting the preference for instant messaging over email in the current generation. It explores Nate Graham's email management strategy from the KDE project, emphasizing 'Inbox Zero' as an ideal state. The script details Nate's approach, which includes using a desktop email client like Thunderbird, setting up automatic categorization with color-coded tags, and promptly responding to or deleting emails. It also advises on separating personal and work emails, using email client apps over web-based clients, and the importance of archiving over deleting for peace of mind. The script concludes with a call to action for viewers to improve their email systems and engage with the content.

Takeaways

• 📧 The speaker prefers instant messaging over email and wishes for a more open and unified instant messaging system like email.
• 📈 Email management is essential, and the speaker looks to Nate Graham's approach for inspiration, aiming for 'Inbox Zero' to signify all tasks are addressed.
• 🔑 Treating emails as tasks, the speaker suggests handling them promptly to clear the 'to-do' list assigned by others.
• 🏞 Separating personal and work emails is crucial for maintaining a work-life balance and avoiding the chaos of mixed accounts.
• 💻 Using a desktop email client like Thunderbird or KDE's kmail is recommended over web-based clients for better organization and efficiency.
• 📊 Automatic categorization of emails through rules or filters helps in quickly sorting and tagging messages, making management more systematic.
• 🗂 The speaker advocates for a stack-like approach to emails, prioritizing the newest and deleting older, less relevant emails.
• ⏰ Acting on urgent emails immediately and deleting them after handling ensures that the email inbox remains task-oriented and not a storage for historical records.
• 🔄 Regularly reviewing and archiving or deleting old emails is encouraged to keep the inbox manageable and to avoid digital hoarding.
• 🔄 For those with an overwhelming number of emails, a mass deletion of old emails is suggested, with the reassurance that very few will actually be needed later.

Q & A

What is the speaker's preference for communication over email?

The speaker prefers instant messaging over email, as they grew up in a generation where it was the primary mode of contact.

What is the main philosophy the speaker adopts for handling work and project email?

The speaker views email as a task cue and treats each email as a to-do list item assigned by someone else, aiming for Inbox zero to signify all tasks are completed or rejected.

How does the speaker suggest treating incoming emails?

The speaker treats emails like a stack, where the newest email is addressed first, often leading to older emails becoming irrelevant and thus not needing action.

Why does the speaker recommend separating KDE and non-KDE emails?

Separating emails helps to avoid mixing personal and work life, making it easier to switch off the work part of the brain when not working.

What is the first point the speaker makes about using an email client app?

Using a desktop email client is recommended over web-based clients for better management of multiple accounts, faster access, and more features.

What is the benefit of automatic categorization of emails as described by the speaker?

Automatic categorization helps in efficiently sorting emails into different categories or folders based on predefined rules, making it easier to manage and respond to them.

How does the speaker handle urgent emails?

The speaker actions urgent emails by either replying to them or opening the linked content in a browser and then deleting the email after the task is completed.

What is the speaker's approach to dealing with merge request and bug report emails?

The speaker opens the linked content in the email, prepares to do the actual work, and then deletes the email if no further action is needed.

How does the speaker suggest spending time after going through urgent emails and work-related emails?

The speaker advises spending time on proactive tasks such as fixing bugs, participating in discussions, and helping others on forums or discussion boards.

What is the speaker's advice for dealing with a large backlog of emails?

The speaker suggests selecting all and deleting old emails, as they are likely no longer relevant or necessary, and to unsubscribe from unnecessary subscriptions to reduce incoming emails.

Outlines

00:00

📧 Email Management Philosophy

The speaker expresses a preference for instant messaging over email, reflecting on the generational shift in communication methods. They acknowledge the necessity of email and introduce Nate Graham's approach to email management. The speaker advocates for a system where emails are treated as tasks, aiming for 'Inbox Zero' by promptly addressing or dismissing them. They also stress the importance of separating work and personal emails and suggest using a dedicated email client for better organization and control over email rules.

05:03

🔧 Setting Up Email Client and Rules

The speaker emphasizes the benefits of using a desktop email client like Thunderbird over web-based clients for managing multiple accounts and utilizing features like mail rules. They detail how to set up automatic categorization using color-coded tags or folders to streamline the email sorting process. The speaker also demonstrates how to create filters for automated emails, such as notifications from platforms like YouTube or GitHub, to improve email management efficiency.

10:03

📉 Categorizing and Acting on Emails

The speaker outlines a strategy for manually categorizing emails from actual people, marking them as urgent or personal, and promptly deleting those that do not require a response. They stress the importance of acting on urgent emails by replying or opening relevant links and then deleting the emails to maintain an organized inbox. The speaker also discusses how to handle merge request and bug report emails, suggesting that once the linked tasks are addressed, the emails can be deleted.

15:05

🗑️ Dealing with Overwhelming Email Volume

The speaker addresses the fear of deleting emails and suggests archiving them as a compromise. They encourage tackling the issue of a large backlog of emails by selecting all and deleting, arguing that old notifications and conversations are typically not valuable. The speaker advises unsubscribing from unnecessary subscriptions and using message filters to manage the influx of emails. They conclude by acknowledging the need for a personal email management system, even if it's not perfect, and invite viewers to share their thoughts and engage with the content.

Keywords

💡Instant Messaging

Instant Messaging refers to the real-time communication between two or more people through typed messages sent over the internet. In the context of the video, it is contrasted with email as a preferred mode of communication, especially for the younger generation who find it more immediate and convenient. The speaker expresses a personal preference for instant messaging over email, highlighting its prevalence in their generation.

💡Email Management

Email Management is the process of organizing and handling incoming and outgoing emails efficiently. The video discusses various strategies for managing emails, such as using an email client, setting up automatic categorization, and achieving 'Inbox Zero'. It is central to the video's theme, as the speaker and Nate Graham share their approaches to dealing with the volume of emails they receive, emphasizing the need for a systematic approach to email management.

💡Inbox Zero

Inbox Zero is a state where an individual's email inbox contains no unread or unprocessed messages. It represents an ideal state of email management where all incoming messages are promptly dealt with. The video mentions 'Inbox Zero' as a goal, suggesting that achieving this state signifies that all task-related emails have been addressed or cleared, which is a measure of effective email management.

💡Email Client

An Email Client is a software application used for accessing and managing email messages. The video recommends using a dedicated email client over web-based email services for better organization and control over multiple email accounts. The speaker and Nate Graham both use desktop email clients, such as Thunderbird, to manage their emails more efficiently than webmail clients.

💡Message Filters

Message Filters are rules set up within an email client to automatically sort and categorize incoming emails based on specific criteria, such as keywords, sender, or subject line. The video describes how Nate Graham uses message filters in Thunderbird to tag and color-code emails, which helps in quickly identifying and prioritizing tasks. This feature is integral to his workflow and email management strategy.

💡Task Categorization

Task Categorization is the act of sorting tasks based on their nature, urgency, or other criteria. In the video, the speaker discusses the importance of categorizing emails as tasks, which aids in prioritizing and addressing them. The concept is used to explain how emails should be treated as actionable items rather than just messages, emphasizing the need for a systematic approach to processing them.

💡Archival System

An Archival System in the context of the video refers to a method of storing and preserving emails for future reference without cluttering the inbox. The speaker suggests setting up an archival system for emails that are deleted but might need to be accessed later. This approach alleviates the fear of losing important information while maintaining an organized inbox.

💡Digital Hoarding

Digital Hoarding is the accumulation of digital files and data, including emails, that are no longer needed or relevant. The video discourages digital hoarding by advocating for the deletion of unnecessary emails. The speaker argues that emails are tasks, not historical records, and should be deleted once they have served their purpose to avoid clutter and inefficiency.

💡Unsubscribe

To Unsubscribe refers to the act of opting out of receiving further emails or notifications from a particular source. The video suggests unsubscribing from unnecessary email subscriptions as a way to reduce the volume of incoming emails. This action is part of the broader strategy for managing and reducing the email load, contributing to more effective email management.

💡Bug Triages

Bug Triages are the process of prioritizing and categorizing software bugs reported by users or developers. In the video, bug triaging is mentioned as a time-consuming task that requires attention and effort. The speaker acknowledges the importance of this process in the context of software development and project management, illustrating the practical application of email management in a professional setting.

Highlights

Preference for instant messaging over email due to growing up in a generation where it's the primary mode of communication.

Desire for instant messaging platforms to be as interoperable as email, using a common protocol.

Email management strategy inspired by Nate Graham of the KDE project, focusing on efficiency.

Concept of 'Inbox zero' as a goal for email management, symbolizing all tasks are completed or addressed.

Treating email like a stack, prioritizing the newest messages to be addressed first.

Separating work and personal emails to maintain a clear boundary and work-life balance.

Advocating for the use of email client applications over web-based clients for better account management and features.

Use of email client rules to automatically categorize and tag emails, streamlining the sorting process.

Tagging system in email clients allows for visual organization and quick identification of email types.

Immediate deletion of emails that do not require a response, promoting a clean inbox.

Urgent emails are addressed first, with a focus on immediate action to clear the inbox.

Actionable steps for merge request and bug report emails, ensuring they are not just read but acted upon.

Dedicated time for actual work after email triage, focusing on tasks rather than reactive email management.

Proactive approach to bug triaging and issue handling, making the most of the day's work hours.

Dealing with less urgent emails at the end of the day, maintaining a balance between immediate and deferred tasks.

Overcoming the fear of deleting emails by archiving them for potential future reference.

Advice for dealing with a backlog of emails: select all and delete, with confidence that they are not needed.

Unsubscribing from unnecessary email sources to reduce inbox clutter and focus on relevant communications.

Encouragement to develop a personal email management system that works better than the one described.

Transcripts

I genuinely hate dealing with email if I

never had to do so for the rest of my

life it would be at least just a couple

of percent better I grew up in a

generation where instant messaging is

the way you would get in contact with

people and I'm just used to it I like it

more yes I know how to use email I just

would prefer not to do it and it would

be nice if we got to a point where

instant messaging was as open as what we

had with email where you could just use

anything and all of the things just

magically work together because it was

all underneath using the same protocol

but I digress email is here to

stay and you have to learn to deal with

it now the amount of emails that I deal

with is nothing compared to someone like

Nate Graham of the KDE project and

recently put out a very interesting

piece called how I manage my KD

email how I manage my email is I don't

basically I deal with things as I deal

with them but I hope that by going

through this post all of you can get at

least a bit of inspiration on how you

could maybe do things a little bit

better even if you don't copy everything

from his system maybe there are things

that you actually could do because look

I sure as hell need a better system

everything I do starts with the

philosophy that works work and project

email is a task cue therefore an email

is a to-do list item someone else has

assigned me better get that stuff done

or rejected as soon as possible so I can

move onto the stuff I want to do this

means my target is Inbox zero achieving

it means I got all my task done like

everyone I don't always achieve it but

zero is the goal how do I work towards

it now in my case I don't treat it like

a queue I treat it like a stack so the

newest thing that's been added is the

first thing that gets popped off this

often means I don't end up dealing with

a lot of things because by the time I

get around to dealing with it it's very

old and very out of date and um doesn't

need anything done anymore I am

certainly not the only one that has like

5-year-old emails that I never bothered

to look at when at the time I probably

should

have but now it's 5 years later and I

don't even remember why the email was

sent to me Point number zero separate

KDE and non-kd emails for most other

people this would be a home email and a

work email do not mix them together

don't use the same account for

everything because it is going to be an

absolute nightmare to sort through also

when you're not at work you want better

turn the work part of your brain off and

not still keep looking at all of this

work stuff this is one of the few things

I at least try to do my GitHub is not on

a separate email it probably should be

but I do have a separate email for my

channel and then all of the other Home

nonsense as well I actually have two

separate emails for the home nonsense

because it got bad enough with me not

sorting through things so I a whole

another one as well again I don't have a

system but bare minimum use separate

emails for doing separate things Point

number one use an email client app it's

perfectly fine if you want to go sign up

for something like Gmail or your ISP has

an email provider or anything else like

that but don't go and use the web-based

client first problem if you have

multiple accounts you're probably going

to go insane the second problem is it's

usually slow it's usually lacking useful

features and has poor keyboard

navigation Gmail is probably the best

when it comes to multiac account

workflows assuming every single email

account you have is on Gmail if you have

one that's on Yahoo one that's on

Hotmail cuz you made it 15 years ago you

have an AOL account I don't know you

have something else proton you just

cannot manage it with any of the typical

web-based clients there are of course

exceptions when the client is made as a

generic email client but for the most

part when you are dealing with Webmail

it is made specifically for that

provider currently Nate is using

Thunderbird I do the same but he is

investigating moving to KD's kmail

regardless it has to be a desktop email

client that offers mail rules pretty

much much any sensible email client is

going to offer this if you find one that

is very minimal very stripped down it's

possible they are not there but just go

and use Thunderbird whilst I still don't

like using email switching to

Thunderbird away from these Webmail

clients made my life so much better I

would have my University email I would

have my Gmail account maybe I'd still

have a Hotmail account I was paying

attention to on very rare occasions and

having to go from site to site to site

just made it insufferable having to like

swap accounts I'm logged into if I have

multiple accounts on a service just made

it insufferable having it in

Thunderbird yes there's a lot of

information on the screen but I can

actually see all of it at once even if

you only have a single email account an

email client is likely still going to be

a benefit because it's probably going to

be quicker than loading up whatever

website you have to go to points0 and

one are things that every single person

should be doing if you are not doing

these you are doing yourself a

disservice before watching anything else

at least bare minimum use an email

client app now we get into Nate's actual

workflow Point number two automatic

categorization I can figure my email

client with male rules to automatically

tag emails with colored labels according

to what they are and then mark them as

red so in this case there are things

like KD merge request bug report from KD

bugzilla bug report from QT all of these

are automated messages that are going to

have a very very set format so it's very

easy to set up a rule that says or in

the case of Thunderbird they're called

message filters that says if it sees

this specific string of characters it is

this kind of email or if it comes from a

C email address it is this kind of email

just go and do this certain operation to

it in this case he's using the tagging

system built into Thunderbird where tags

each have their own defined color so you

can very easily indicate what each of

these email types are supposed to be

when I get a new kind of automated email

that didn't automatically receive a

color label I adjust the rules to match

that new email so it gets categorized in

the future too some people might prefer

doing folders instead of color color

labels I can understand why Nate prefers

doing labels here because he is treating

it like a queue if you have it in

different folders you're going to do

each folder one by one in Nate's case

though he wants to address things in the

order that they come in and doing it in

this way makes a lot more sense for him

W Nate's filters are set up for a KD use

case this also applies to other

automatic cases as well let's say you're

in a well struct mailing list you're in

a bunch of forums you're in U some

GitHub and gitlab repos all of these are

going to have a structure with how the

emails are laid out and there's probably

going to be something in the email that

you can say okay this means it is this

kind of email Now setting up these rules

is pretty straightforward here we have

the email account attached to my gaming

YouTube account where the only things

that come in are basically just

notifications of that channel going live

and notifications of new comments so

basically all just automated emails so

one thing we can do is either clicking

on the from or the Two element in the

email and then there'll be a thing

saying create filter from the other way

we can do this is going up to the tools

here and if we click on message filters

this will bring up the message filter

window from here we can click on new and

this brings up the actual prompt to make

a new filter so in this case let's say

we want it to be on the subject contains

and then new comment on so new

comment on and then we can choose what

action to do on that message in this

case I'm going to go and just delete

those messages click okay and now we can

do a run and

presumably all of those

comments are now gone in Nate's case

though what he was doing and probably in

most of your cases what's going to make

sense is instead doing something like

tag message and you can add additional

actions like let's say you want to tag

it and then move the message or mark it

as red this is what Nate is doing in his

case now depending on how you got

Thunderbird laid out where tag is going

to be is going to be a little bit

different but if we go and right click

on a message click on tag here from here

we can go and select manage tags and

make any new tags we want to make make

so in my case I don't really have that

many of them I think some of these are

the default but once you have all of the

tags that you want then they can be used

in any of the context where tags make

sense one of those context being manual

categorization so not every single email

is an automated email from one of the

platforms that Nate deals with when I

first open my email client in the

morning everything will be categorized

except 5 to 15 emails sent by actual

people to see just the these I'll filter

the inbox by unread status since all

autoc categorized colored emails got

automatically marked as red then it's

time to figure out what to do with them

for anything that needs a response or

action today I mark it as Urgent by

hitting the one key for anything that

needs a personal response in the next

few days I hit nine to tag it as

personal and it becomes green and so on

any emails that don't need a response

get immediately deleted I never miss

them it's fast and painless put those

emails out of their misery I am

genuinely terrible at getting back to

people over email as I said before there

are some cases where I just leave an

email for multiple years and it just

sits there unanswered I probably should

have answered it but I just forgot to

point number four action all the Urgent

emails again

that means me actually doing something

with the email urgent means urgent first

I'll go through these one at a time and

action them somehow this means one of

the following if it's from a person

write a reply and then delete the email

if it's from an automated system open

the link to the thing it's about in a

web browser and then delete the email

the email always ends up deleted for

People Like Us emails are not historical

records They are tasks do you need to

remember what T she performed 8 years

ago on Tuesday May 11th of course not

don't be a digital hoarder delete your

emails you won't miss them I just had a

look and I can't show you because there

was some personal information in them I

do have emails going back to 2019 when I

said 5 years I was saying that as a joke

it's actually not a joke points number

five and six are basically the same

thing action all merge request emails

and action all bug report emails so go

into the email open up the link see

where it sends you and just get

everything ready to do the actual work

once it is open delete the email if you

don't need to do anything with the bug

report or the merge request just delete

email don't even bother going any

further with it you've done the task

it's already completed in a more General

sense if you're involved in mailing list

you're involved in gitlab issues and

GitHub issues and all of the work there

basically just check the thing that is

linked in the email if you need to do

something with it you'll do something

with it in a moment if not get rid of it

it doesn't need to be there any longer

finally number seven do actual work at

this point Nate has spent anywhere from

15 to 40 minutes going through his email

seeing what emails he's been sent

whether he has to do anything with them

or not replying to the really urgent

emails just by themselves but hasn't

dealt with any of the bug reports or

merge requests yet now it's time to

actually go through that work for the

next couple of hours going through the

tabs in his browser from left to right

first reviewing merge request then

handling the relevant bug reports

closing reopening replying to comments

changing metadata marking his duplicate

ceasing others during this step I'll

also triage the Day's new bug reports

sometimes checking the email client

again do doing the same process if there

is some new task in there go and open it

in a tab get rid of the email after all

of these Tabs are closed I have some

time to be proactive instead of reactive

usually this amounts to 0 to 120 minutes

a day during working hours I try to

spend this time on fixing small bugs I

found throughout the day opening and

participating in discussion topics about

important matters working on the K human

interface guidelines and sometimes

helping people out on discuss. k.org and

the KD Reddit if there is anybody out

there that tells you that bug triaging

is not a difficult and timec consuming

role they are lying to you because

there's a reason why a lot of repos have

a thousand open issues nobody really

wants to deal with them then at the end

of the day go through those emails that

were manually categorized that weren't

that important and if you're not too

tired reply to them today but if it

doesn't really matter they can wait for

another day if they've sat there for too

long mark them as urgent now it is time

to deal with them now this is my problem

deleting emails is too scary what if I

need them in the

future you won't but if that's too scary

or painful set up your email account or

client app to Archive deleted messages

in permanent storage rather than truly

deleting them just keep in mind you'll

eventually run out of storage space and

have to deal with that problem in the

future just buy more drives just have a

archival system set up entirely for your

email and you never have to deal with it

once it happens consider it an

opportunity to reconsider asking

yourself how many emails you actually

did need to dig out of Cold Storage I'm

guessing the number will be very low

maybe even zero I can think

of maybe one or two cases where I

actually needed to do so but it just

made a lot more sense to download the

content of the email and store it in a

separate system what do I do about all

those old emails in my inbox there are

too many I'll never get through them if

you're one of those people who has

50,000 emails in your inbox mine's not

that bad but combined probably close to

30,000 across all of them select all and

delete you won't miss any of them

seriously all of them every single one

right

now just do it how do I know this is

fine old notifications about things like

bug reports or merge requests are

worthless because they already happened

delete old mail this conversations long

since dried up or got action without

your input delete old at the time urgent

emails from important people are no

longer relevant because the people who

sent them long ago concluded you're

unreliable and decided to not contact

you again because that's what happens

when you let emails pile up you're being

rude to all the people whose messages

you've ignored feel sad resolve to do

better then

delete now maybe that's

cold but look he's probably correct now

to be fair there are some people I'd

prefer don't contact me again because I

don't want to deal with their email so

those people I'm probably still going to

ignore but if there are people you

actually want to keep in contact with

companies you're trying to work with

maybe replying is a good idea this is

another problem I have on my more

personal emails I just get too much

email it's impossible to keep up no

matter what I do you need to unsubscribe

from some things maybe a lot of things

longtime contributors to any project

will have accumulated years of

subscriptions to sources of email s that

are no longer relevant prune them this

may trigger fear of missing out

recognize that and fight against it you

can almost always reduce your email load

by unsubscribing from

stuff there's some cases where that may

not actually

work in those

cases message filters do you have a

system for dealing with email

probably whatever it is is going to be

better than mine I know I need to be

better and look maybe I should Implement

some of the stuff that Nate actually

brought up here and things will be at

least a bit nicer it's going to take a

bit of effort to get things done the

first time but once everything is

automatically being

categorized it's probably just going to

be nicer isn't

it I should do it but let me know your

thoughts down below if you like the

video go like the video and if you

really like the video and you want to

become one of these amazing people over

here check out the patreon scribber

Linked In the description down below

that's going to be it for me

and don't send me an email

[Music]

[Music]

something

[Music]