Your Inbox Is a Bandit
4 months ago
- #productivity
- #email management
- #time management
- The article discusses the concept of treating your email inbox as a multi-arm bandit problem, where you must choose between exploring new messages or exploiting known ones.
- Traditional strategies like Inbox Zero or Getting Things Done are critiqued as either unattainable or overly complex for the author's needs.
- The author's personal context involves routing most communications through email, avoiding other messaging platforms to centralize their workflow.
- Two main categories of problematic emails are identified: administrative tasks ('death by a thousand cuts') and personal emails that require thoughtful replies.
- The author rejects the use of Gmail's Snooze feature due to its inefficiency in managing distractions and adding stress.
- A solution is proposed: creating a dedicated Gmail label called 'DBTC' (Death By a Thousand Cuts) for non-urgent, distracting emails to be processed during scheduled 'DBTC-time'.
- The DBTC system allows for batch processing of emails without the distraction of new messages or the need to decide when to handle each one.
- The method is extended to other communication platforms and task managers, applying the same principle of scheduled, focused processing.
- The author reports success with this system since March 2021, noting improved focus and reduced stress during work hours.