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March 20, 2007
Handling Waiting For items in Gmail
Here is a fun trick for those of you on Gmail who are looking for a way to easily handle emails that you need track a response.
1. Create a label called @Waiting For if you don't have one already
2. Go to Settings (top right corner), click on Filters tab
3. Click Create a New Filter
4. Add your email address to the From field
5. Add a unique keyword, such as *wf, in the Has the Words field
6. Click Next step
7. Check off Skip the Inbox" and "Apply the Label: @Waiting For"
8. Click Create Filter
Test it out by sending yourself a test message and put your unique code somewhere in the body of the message. What this will do is save you from having to cc: yourself (and then process it again out of In) or dig through Sent mail to get the stuff that you're waiting on from someone else. A copy of your email will automatically get filed under your @Waiting For label.
Posted by Kelly at March 20, 2007 04:42 PM
Comments
Cool tip - thanks!
Posted by: Gretchen Cawthon at March 20, 2007 07:29 PM
Wonderful stuff! I do something much more difficult but similar in Thunderbird. I describe my approach in my blog. Click to my link below this comment and search for thunderbird and gtd. (Sorry I'm avoiding links as they are often marked as spam in many comment programs.) Merlin Mann linked to that particular post in the past. :)
Cheers, Kelly! Thanks for the Gmail tips!!
Posted by: a11en at March 20, 2007 11:32 PM
This is a great tip! I have already set up a new label and a new filter for @Waiting for. :-)
May I venture in suggesting a possible refinement: when setting up the filter, it is also possible to choose for any message with *wf to also be starred (by ticking the "Star it!" box. This will ensure that all the @Waiting for items are set aside together as starred items.
What I usually do to process my in-box is that I simple archive and star items which I need to reply to and which will take more than 2 minutes.
Using stars only for @Waiting for and which need answering later, means that by simply clicking on "starred" on the menu, you have access to the list of items which need monitoring, living an empty in-box.
Posted by: Pascal Venier at March 21, 2007 12:45 AM
I do a similar thing for tasks with gmail using the + address - since gmail recognizes your email address '+' any term, I set up a filter that labels anything I send to name+task@gmail.com with Task List and archives it out of the inbox. I've been thinking I could forget the label and just set the filter to star it as the person above suggested.
Posted by: Alan at March 23, 2007 10:23 AM
Wow, that is simply amasing. I like to do this for my gmail, if it is okay with you
Posted by: Geebluraj Anasian Mugambaram at March 24, 2007 06:12 AM
Thanks a bunch for the "heads up."
Posted by: Dr Dan DeLoge at March 25, 2007 05:41 AM
If you're using GMail for GTD, give this a try :
http://www.gtdgmail.com/
works great!
Posted by: Roy Truelove at March 29, 2007 10:52 AM
I love this tip. It's already made life much easier.
However, does anyone know how to make if so it only looks at the email be sent? For example, if I put a *wf in an email and that's reponded to and then I respond back, it goes back into my @WaitingFor folder again.
Is there any way to get the rule to not look emails lower in the email thread?
Thanks in advance.
Posted by: Mike at October 4, 2007 09:06 PM
