[Beliavsky]

I wonder if Inbox Zero is a worthwhile goal.

My inbox is effectively one of my to-do lists. Since I don't cross off everything on my to-do list each day, my inbox usually has a few dozen messages. I have found that when I move an email to a "check later" folder, I never do so.

[waxman]

pg has described email as a to-do list of tasks assigned by other people.

The social dimension is my reason for pursuing inbox zero. Especially as a founder, it's important a) not to be a bottle neck and b) to respect others by responding promptly.

[lincolnq]

I'm similar to you in the to-do list inbox, and I also never check "check later" folders. Instead, I use Mailbox app (Boomerang also works for this) to "bounce" emails back into my inbox when I don't need them today. This allows me to hit zero each day and conveniently reminds me of important things at the time that they need to be addressed.

[pbiggar]

You need to get into the habit of checking your TODO. I find it quite easy to get into that habit with Andreas Klinger's system, but I haven't been able to with any other system I tried. I think it's because I see them on the right.

[refurb]

I do the exact same thing. If the email is something I need to address, it stays in the inbox. If I don't need it, it's archived.

My work email usually hovers around 5-10 emails in the inbox.