Deal with some e-mail using RTM
ondrejk says:
Hi!
I go through the piles of e-mail only once a couple of days (dealing immediately with only the important stuff) and I hate rewriting the e-mails into tasks, so I set up a little forwarder.
What it does is that it forwards those e-mails, that require some time specific action. I list a few examples below. The key characteristic is that I read all those e-mails on my phone at the time of delivery (push e-mail), but I rarely take action.
If you don't go through Inbox in RTM, you may want to set up a filter where these e-mails show up. Just search for "Fwd:" and create a smart list.
STEP 1 — Setting up GMail (I only list GMail since it's the most popular web based service)
Next to the search field, there's a link — create filter — there you specify what you want to filter. Say the sender contains "library" (you may hit "test search" to see if it is in fact correct). In the next step, you need to set "Manage forwarding addresses" since GMail only forwards mail to verified addresses. There's a small problem with this since you don't own, but it can be resolved easily. Simply add the rmilk e-mail address you find in the settings and it will send you a confirmation e-mail that is converted into a task in your Inbox. In the notes, you will find the body of the e-mail along with the confirmation link.
STEP 2 — Actual forwarding :-)
Now everything's set up, you get the idea, it's time to actually think of a way to use it. I set up a few of these.
a) Reminders from the school library that I need to return my book within 2 days.
b) Event invitations from Facebook. I always forget about these and even ignore them on Facebook itself. Now it's a task.
c) All the "Information for students" emails we get from the information system. Our teachers use that and it generally contains important info on home assignments, exams, ...
d) E-mails from my favorite e-shops informing me to pick up the stuff I ordered.
e) Whatever is important for me in a given period. Say now I'm hunting for a thesis topic, so any relevant e-mail is sent right to RTM.
One small note: you may want to check "skip inbox" in GMail for some of these so that you unclutter your list of messages.
STEP 3 — Sit back and enjoy :-)
---
I guess this tip is for people who take GTD more seriously than e-mail. I'm on that train.
I have started using RTM after a year of absence from it and I'm discovering these unique features I missed all along.
Cheers.
I go through the piles of e-mail only once a couple of days (dealing immediately with only the important stuff) and I hate rewriting the e-mails into tasks, so I set up a little forwarder.
What it does is that it forwards those e-mails, that require some time specific action. I list a few examples below. The key characteristic is that I read all those e-mails on my phone at the time of delivery (push e-mail), but I rarely take action.
If you don't go through Inbox in RTM, you may want to set up a filter where these e-mails show up. Just search for "Fwd:" and create a smart list.
STEP 1 — Setting up GMail (I only list GMail since it's the most popular web based service)
Next to the search field, there's a link — create filter — there you specify what you want to filter. Say the sender contains "library" (you may hit "test search" to see if it is in fact correct). In the next step, you need to set "Manage forwarding addresses" since GMail only forwards mail to verified addresses. There's a small problem with this since you don't own, but it can be resolved easily. Simply add the rmilk e-mail address you find in the settings and it will send you a confirmation e-mail that is converted into a task in your Inbox. In the notes, you will find the body of the e-mail along with the confirmation link.
STEP 2 — Actual forwarding :-)
Now everything's set up, you get the idea, it's time to actually think of a way to use it. I set up a few of these.
a) Reminders from the school library that I need to return my book within 2 days.
b) Event invitations from Facebook. I always forget about these and even ignore them on Facebook itself. Now it's a task.
c) All the "Information for students" emails we get from the information system. Our teachers use that and it generally contains important info on home assignments, exams, ...
d) E-mails from my favorite e-shops informing me to pick up the stuff I ordered.
e) Whatever is important for me in a given period. Say now I'm hunting for a thesis topic, so any relevant e-mail is sent right to RTM.
One small note: you may want to check "skip inbox" in GMail for some of these so that you unclutter your list of messages.
STEP 3 — Sit back and enjoy :-)
---
I guess this tip is for people who take GTD more seriously than e-mail. I'm on that train.
I have started using RTM after a year of absence from it and I'm discovering these unique features I missed all along.
Cheers.
3dsales says:
This is a great Idea. Instead of Search for Fwd I have created Next action list . As soon as i have somthing in my inbox i will decide what to do with it and assign due date if necessay and move to my next action list that way I don't miss anything.
Thanks
Thanks
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