Danny Recommends: BatchedInbox
Every so often we dip our toes into a series called Danny Recommends:, posts that tip you off to the stuff that I…you know. The recommendations might be products for use in your ministry, resources that will help you develop leaders around you, or just fun stuff that you need. Want. Whatever. Check books and such over at the Reading List, but these posts will go into further detail. For other posts in the series, check out the link at the bottom.
If you’re anything like me, you are a slave to your inbox. You’re not proud of that fact. I’m certainly not. But the serotonin or dopamine or whatever feel-good trigger in our brains craves that satisfying little ding / badge / whatever that lets you know that somebody, somewhere wants to talk to you, or a Nigerian prince wants to share his fortune, or that Krispy Kreme has another “buy a dozen, get one free” special going on.
Mmmm. Krispy Kreme.
But I digress. The best defense is a good offense, and I’ve found one in BatchedInbox.com. BatchedInbox is a Gmail add-on that allows you to decide when your email is delivered. You can select up to three times a day or every hour on the hour, guaranteeing that you stay more productive and less prone to dream about Hot Donuts Now.
The good:
- It’s super-simple. If you use Gmail, BatchedInbox walks you through the setup.
- It’s easy to customize. If you decide you don’t like your schedule, change it. Simple as that.
- It’s (somewhat) easy to override. Just go to the site, hit “Deliver emails now,” and you’re well on your way to inbox bliss. (It just makes you stop and think about what a tech addict you are, so there’s that.)
- It almost guarantees Inbox Zero. I don’t know why this phenomenon is true, though I’ve written about it before. If I spend less time in email at specific times during the day, I always leave the office with “no new messages” flashing proudly on my screen.
- It lets you get other junk done. ‘Nuff said.
The bad:
- You can only opt for on-the-hour batch delivery. As a weirdo who has a specific schedule I try to hit, I’d love some half hour options.
- It’s (somewhat) easy to override. Yep. That was in the “good” category as well. But you can understand why it’s a bad thing.
- Time-sensitive emails are tricky. Let’s say you’re in a meeting and a co-worker wants to share a doc with you. You have to do a Gmail search or hit “Deliver emails now.” Either way, you get weird stares until your co-workers understand what a productivity ninja you’re becoming.
Wanna try BatchedInbox? You can. Get started here for free, and then email me to let me know what you think. I’ll answer you at one of three times later today.
See all posts in the Danny Recommends: series.
Disclaimer: FTC watchdogs will probably want to know that the companies listed / linked above did not ask for this endorsement, nor did they provide me with free swag in order to do so. I’m just a really satisfied customer who wants to let you know where you can get some great products. So there.
