I’m using Merlin’s inbox zero principle form now years, and it’s a very effective tools as you can see. I’m not using 3 folders, but lot of rules to dispatch my inbox mails to several themed folders (like Office, Office/company1, Office/company2, Bills, Bills/Shop1, bills/shop2, maillingLists, MailingLists/SocialNetwork, MailingList/Ubuntu…) The first are checked as important and have to bee checked at least once a day. And I’m taking 1 hours maximum to read all these mail and answer until it’s empty. The other may wait the end of the day or several days (like even waiting for the week end) to also read these folder, sort and answer the mails.

I’m very mail centric, even if, I’ve a bunch of RSS feed subscription saved in NewsFire. NewsFire is updated daily, but I’m only reading the news after work, if I’ve time for this.

Same, I’m check my 3 social microblogging network (Jaiku, Pownce, Plurk), either just after mail reading, or at the end of the day. So I’m not too distracted.

How ever the inbox zero principle means being better organised, and I can’t deny I “lost” time configuring all the rules or sort email, and telling people that I’m only looking my mail 2 or 3 times a day and not constantly. (Some people get mad somethhings that I don’t read there mail right away, I just reply they can have called me if this was important… And now they do ). A very good consequence if this is I’m less stressed of getting a mail, being less “connected”, and as you mentionned, I’m satisfied to find a cleaned mailbox and other news on my computer. The time I lost configuring is now a gain in time and peace of mind

I tried pukka, but there’s something I’m surely missing…