There was a time when one might be too embarrassed to publish a cavalier statement like the one above. Today, however, it’s almost a badge of honor.

The subtext of Chenell’s comment might be construed as “Should we really take email seriously? (Who can keep up with it?)”, and I suppose that depends on whether you take the people, who take the time and trouble to write you, seriously.

Let me put this in some context and dispel the myth that keeping up with email is some quixotic quest when you get above a certain level of volume.

There is a famous Danish expression that goes something like this: “There is no bad weather, just poor clothing.” It’s the same with managing your email: There aren’t too many emails flying in your inbox, just insufficient tools to manage them.

And just to be clear, I am not speaking only about those who struggle, but also those who believe they are quite productive in Outlook, who might say:

“I do fine...

Cleaning out an inbox every now and then can be considered a bad practice for several reasons:

It can be time-consuming: Setting aside a specific time to clean out your inbox can take a lot of time and effort, especially if you have many messages to go through. This can be especially challenging if you’re trying to balance multiple tasks and responsibilities.

It can lead to missed opportunities: If you’re only cleaning out your inbox infrequently, it’s possible that you’ll miss important messages or opportunities. For example, if you’re only checking your inbox once a week, you may miss a deadline for a job application or a sale that ends in a day.

It can lead to unnecessary stress: If your inbox is constantly overflowing with messages, it can be stressful and overwhelming. Waiting until you have time to clean it out can make the problem even worse, leading to additional stress and anxiety.

Instead, it is better to have a system in place that allows you...