Is email broken? I have been struggling to manage email for a long time as I attempted to liberate my inbox back in 2005 only to once again stare email bankruptcy in the eyes. Email is such a double-edged sword since I need email to communicate but get so much of it becomes difficult to use effectively. I am not alone, I have heard the same things from a number of colleagues and recently TechCrunch editor and founder Mike Arrington even called the communication crisis produced by email a opportunity for an entrepreneur.
I recently met Jared Goralnick who is a bit of a productivity guru. Jared joined me on quick SOMEWHAT FRANK TV episode number 17 (below). He recently founded AwayFind.com. AwayFind, a DC-based startup, is looking to help ease some of the email burden so you can focus on your day-to-day tasks without constant interruptions. With AwayFind, which is currently in private beta, users can setup a page (like this one I created) to include in auto-response messages to anyone that emails them. The auto-response offers a little explanation as to when you might get to the mail and a form which can contact the user directly via SMS text messaging and email if the item being sent needs to be handled immediately. You can sign-up for the AwayFind beta here and you can follow them on twitter here.
Check out the latest SOMEWHAT FRANK TV episode with Jared Goralnick from AwayFind.com - click here to: subscribe to the video podcast.
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Frank, thank you for taking the time to record this interview and share AwayFind with your readers! Hopefully it can be helpful to some of them!
Posted by: Jared Goralnick | Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 09:54 PM
Very nifty... I use my email in a GTD way. Where if it's in my inbox, there's something I need to do about it. I end up filing most of the stuff without having to do anything. While it momentarily feels good, it's annoying to get so much of that stuff.
I like the idea that this puts just a bit more of a hurdle in front of the person but still gives them the chance to get to me.
Posted by: Keith Casey | Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 10:20 PM
Frank,
I couldn't agree with you more. Most of us are married to email and to multiple accounts for that matter. There is little chance that any of us can file for divorce without totally disrupting our lives. Scott Allen, Tim Ferriss and David Allen have all suggested wonderful tips for managing your inbox the GTD way. I wrote a post summarizing their key points at www.getthenut.com. In addition, we are currently beta testing www.NutshellMail.com, a free service that helps users better access, manage and monitor multiple email and social networking accounts through any inbox they already use.
Posted by: Mark Schmulen | Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 11:20 PM
For a number of weeks, I setup an autoresponder, only answered email twice a day at 11am and 3pm. It was awesome, I would plow through it twice a day and not get distracted. Would respond to emails thoroughly. And it took a while for clients to get used to it but after a while I think they did. :)
Posted by: Kalen Jordan | Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 01:22 AM
This is a Big Idea tool that effortlessly fixes the biggest problem with email- disrupting our day. From the first moment after setup you feel empowered and back in control of your day. Thank you!
Posted by: Art Jacoby | Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 10:55 AM