"Flag for follow-up" is how I track emails I need to respond to, but can't right away. I never took the "INBOX zero" approach because I wanted easy searching for recent threads all in one mailbox.
The problem is when flagged messages scrolled out of view, I'd forget about them. Some were months old! At some point you feel too guilty to reply.
The solution was so simple: apply a filter that only shows unread and flagged email by default. Instant view of things that need my attention.
@kyle
I am facing similar challenges but with a twist:
How do you provide context of what you want to reply?
Like, do you need some research to do before you can get back?
I want to reply at least quickly to let the other side know that I received the message (anxiety) and will respond more at a later time.
#GTD works okay for me, so a new project is added to the list with the steps needed.
The email gets flagged and I sort by marked, then chronological.
@RyunoKi I'm not quite ready to add something like a ticketing system to my workflows yet. Perhaps it's leftover PTSD from past sysadmin jobs...
It does make sense though and I'm glad you have found something that is mostly working for you.
@kyle
I understand.
It's not a ticket system but rather a list of lists…
Actually, quite calming to have a single place that holds all the stuff that needs to be done.
Happy to learn about other approaches, too. This way I can reflect and refine.