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June 05, 2007
Handling Waiting For items in Yahoo!
Hey there Yahoo! mail fans. Some of you might have discovered this, but there's an easy way to use the GTD Waiting For concept in Yahoo! mail.
1. Create an email folder called Waiting For
2. Go to Options>Mail Options>Filters
3. Name the filter something like Waiting For
4. Add a new filter with these characteristics:
- your email address in the From header field
- a unique keyword in Body contains field, such as *wf
5. Select Move message to the: Waiting For folder
Try it out by sending a test message to yourself and typing *wf in the body of the email somewhere, such as under your signature file. It should send a copy of the email to your Waiting for folder.
What this rule does is eliminate the step of having to CC: yourself or dig through your Sent file to find emails that you are waiting for a response. Very handy for delegated items.
Here's the equivalent of that for Gmail and Outlook.
For Lotus Notes users, you've got it even easier. If you create a Waiting For email folder (use a dash before the folder name to make it show up right under the Inbox), you can use the "Send and File" button in Notes email to file emails into Waiting For as soon as you send it.
I figure any quick tips like this to help speed the admin of workflow are worth checking out. The less time I can spend on organizing the more time I can spend actually doing.
Posted by Kelly at June 5, 2007 02:49 PM
Comments
There is one more option.
Instead of writing a keyword like "wf" in the email, you could also create a dummy yahoo email ID, using a new feature that they now offer - AddressGuard. Next, set up a filter to send emails to your "Waiting for" folder.
All the email that you want to act on - BCC it to that ID now. In fact, now even if you use multiple IDs (I use 1 gmail acc also), you can just BCC it to this yahoo ID, with the AddressGuard Id in BCC.
Two advantages:
1. No need to include special keywords in the email - therefore no questions from receipients, and no chance of the mistakes by the filter too. Only if the mail has been BCCd to that ID, will it go to your "Waiting for" folder.
2. Can also send reminder emails into your yahoo account, from external accounts.
Hope you find this useful!
Cheers!
PS: I've just ordered for my personal copy of GTD. Should get it within the week :-)
Posted by: Jack at June 16, 2007 12:07 PM
Hi Folks - Yahoo Mail Beta seems to be having some challenges with this Filter. Thanks to Jarrod for pointing this out. So if it doesn't work, perhaps when Beta is no longer Beta, it will work as described above.
Someday/Maybe...!
Kelly
Posted by: Kelly at July 3, 2007 09:59 AM
