How many times have you gone home lately and complained to your roommates, boy/girlfriend or spouse about the number of emails still sitting in your inbox at the end of the day?

Unread and often unopened, the emails gnaw at us. They elicit feelings of incapability, because really, if we can’t take care of a simple thing like email how can we expect to get that big project finished or get praised at evaluation time?

Email is supposed to make us more efficient and effective. So where did we make the wrong turn and how do we get email back under control?

David Allen of Get Things Done has some interesting tips and pointers on Getting Email Under Control.

While I like the fact that he encourages the use of the delete button, I have to object to him telling people to just type faster. I believe in knowing what you want to say, selecting the “right” words and taking the time to re-read what you wrote.  I believe those extra moments are better spent re-reading rather than sending a revision or apology email later on down the line.

Also, how does David Allen deal with those people who believe that every joke, lol cat, and YouTube video is worth sharing with everyone?

Delete anyone’s grandma lately?