Online ZEN 2: Inboxes~ the Seductresses

By on January 21, 2011 in Online ZEN

La Jolla Sunset at Happy Hour 1/14/11

I’ve been throwing stuff into the Cloud (Internet) only for a year. Online ZEN is just a little bit about how I’m using the Cloud more efficiently to make my life in the physical realm easier. Thanks for joining me in unveiling my rhythm in the Cloud! =)

Do you ever feel a “Come hither” from your inboxes?

It’s pretty obvious that I’m influenced by ZenHabits.net. I’m taking Leo Babauta’s advice from his eBook The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life. I LOVE that eBook! Thanks to Leo, just two days ago, I started a new habit: working on my MOST IMPORTANT PROJECTS before checking any inboxes during the day. This way, my time is more efficient and valuable when I actually check the inboxes.

But first, let’s count the number of inboxes I maintain. Some are in the Cloud, and some are on Earth.

  1. Email: Gmail and Yahoo (although I never check Yahoo…)
  2. Email chat (G-chat)
  3. US snail mail (home and office)
  4. Voicemail
  5. Text Messages
  6. Desk In-tray (which is the kitchen counter, the floor, and other various places for me right now)
  7. Post-it Notes
  8. Online Homepage for RSS feeds, etc.
  9. Twitter (2 accounts)
  10. Facebook personal
  11. Facebook business
  12. Facebook chat
  13. YouTube comments
  14. LinkedIn account and groups
  15. Comments on the blog

15! I bet that’s pretty average… Well, I don’t have a MySpace, landline phone, an online reader, or any multiples of the above. When I first got notice about new inboxes with my bank accounts a couple of years ago, I couldn’t believe it. Lots of other membership account sites automatically bestow a NEW INBOX, too. (!) I ignore additional inboxes. The important ones are forwarded to my regular email address.

Here’s what I plan to uphold from here on out. I’ll keep you posted:

  1. Check email daily at least two hours after working on my MOST IMPORTANT PROJECTS first.
  2. Reduce 15 to 12 (Baby steps!)
  3. Post-it notes are not allowed.
  4. Create a desk in-tray for snail mail, etc.

Special thanks to Janice Harris of The Music Therapy Show for inspiring Clean Out Your Inbox Month! Here’s my newest ScreenFlow video about email:

6 Responses to Online ZEN 2: Inboxes~ the Seductresses

  1. Rachel Rambach January 21, 2011 at 7:09 am #

    WOW! That is truly inspiring, Kat. I usually just let everything sit in my inbox, unless it is pure junk and I delete it right away. I can’t imagine how long it would take to do what you did…but it’s on my list of goals! Thanks :)

    Reply
    • Kat Fulton January 21, 2011 at 12:24 pm #

      Hey Rachel! Thanks for checking this out~ I have let emails sit in my inbox, too! But this time, for tooooo long. Keep us posted on your clearing =)

      Reply
  2. Bev January 24, 2011 at 8:12 am #

    Very cool! Great inspiration to avoid all the distracting things around us! I guess sometimes it just seems easier to check mail in the short term, but in the long term nothing really valuable gets done! It’s tough being human, we tend to be attracted to instant successes…

    Reply
    • Kat Fulton January 24, 2011 at 8:52 am #

      Thanks for checking it out, Bev! Instant success is nice, for sure =)

      Reply
  3. Jessy February 10, 2011 at 4:53 am #

    Hi Kat, Does a website have to have a google reader app to subscribe to it in igoogle?

    Reply

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