Merlin Mann is running a series on emptying your inbox (easy) and keeping it that way (harder).

His articles — “Inbox Zero” he’s calling them — cover all sorts of tips and tricks from just nuking your inbox to the smart use of filters and the liberating joy of hammering the delete button. He also talks about the importance of scheduling visits to your inbox so that you stay in control of your inbox and not vice-versa.

Speaking of Yojimbo, he also presents a series of past posts entitled, “Becoming an Email Ninja” .

As I read it, the overall message is, “For God’s sake, don’t live in your Inbox if there’s any way you can avoid it.”

It is interesting to compare this advice with the strategies of other people — like Keith Robinson’s suggestions on Lifehacker (Getting to Done ) and Guy Kawasaki’s tips (12 Tips for Better Emailing ).

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• How the delete key is your best friend
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Hawk Wings has posted a bit about “Getting Things Done” (GTD) with Mail.app.

Merlin Mann at 43 Folders posts about how to get things done without Mail.app, or at least by reducing its mesmerizing effect.

He provides 4 and a half ways to wean yourself off Mail.app so that you can actually do something.

As I read it, I felt Merlin staring into the very depths of my soul. Worth a read and a good long think.

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Earlier this year, Merlin Mann posted five tips to increase email productivity on his excellent blog, 43folders.com.

Excellent advice about cheating, writing less and being honest. I probably waste too much time reading productivity tips, but these ones are good. Especially that one about writing less.

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