Left Lane

Or “Reduce your view to expand your productivity.” Fancy, huh?

Recently inspired by a “fresh start” article on 43folders, I decided to make my first official attempt at an adapted personal “life hack:”

1. Go to Gmail.
2. Under Settings, change Maximum page size to 25 conversations.
3. Done.

Previously set to 100, I thought I was getting a broader perspective on my electronic correspondence. WRONG. I know now that limiting my view will help me to not feel overwhelmed when I look at my inbox. This hack is especially useful for Gmail, in which the overriding mentality is to search your mail instead of putting it in different folders to organize it. Now, I can go through my e-mail and concentrate on a few e-mails at a time, reducing the bulk factor when trying to get old emails processed.

Needless to say, the clutter factor is also being reduced. It is amazing how a reduction of clutter on a computer screen can reduce the clutter in my brain. I can say that at times I have been able to recite, by memory, the first 10-15 e-mails in my inbox the last time I checked it while at the same time not being able to remember what I planned to do that night. That is a sickness. By reducing the hold my volumous inbox has on my unconscious mind, I am simplifying my life.

This life hack thing is neat.

Posted in Personal, Organization.