Zen
TILT – Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology
and the Art of Inbox Management
by Christine Korol 22
T I L T M A G A Z I N E Jan u ar y 2 0 1 2
Email is my arch nemesis. I have tried almost every recommended approach to minimizing, filtering, limiting, filing, and delegating in a somewhat successful attempt to limit its encroachment on my life. I owe a great debt to Charlie Gilkey, Sid Savara, David Allen, Tim Ferriss and many others who have thought long and hard about how to handle email overload. Without them, I wouldn’t have time to write this article. Unfortunately, I still find myself locked in a struggle between the work that I want to do (e.g., draw cartoons,
write blog posts) and the growing lists of new messages demanding (but not receiving) immediate attention. I feel the same frustration towards email that I do towards housework, errands and any other task that adds to the busyness of my day. A simple approach to dealing with frustration is to ruthlessly eliminate the obstacle that stands between you and your happiness. Dr. Sherry Turkle coined the term email bankruptcy to describe the decision to delete an