Using a three-folder system to keep e-mail under control

Checking, reading, processing, replying to, and stressing out about e-mail can all be sources of clutter in our lives. And, according to a recent Fast Company article written by Gina Trapani titled “Work Smart: Conquering Your Email Inbox,” processing e-mail might be taking up half of our workweek:

A 2008 survey at Intel showed employees receive 350 emails per week on average; at Morgan Stanley, employees get 625 new messages per week. Executives’ incoming email volume was much higher. In some cases, workers spent 20 hours a week just dealing with email.

Trapani suggests in her article to create three folders to keep e-mail from cluttering up your time: To-do, Wait, and Reference. To use them:

If the message is a task you’ve got to complete–like a request from the boss–file it into your To-do folder, and add it to your to-do list. If the message is about something you’re waiting for–like a package shipment notification or a promise from a co-worker to get you something by next Tuesday–put it in your Wait folder, and maybe even on your calendar. Everything else–the CC’s, the FYI’s, the “just thought you should know”s–file these in Reference. That’s your library of email that you can search any time to look up information you might need later.

In my opinion, the most important parts of this system are “add it to your to-do list” and “put it … on your calendar.” Treat e-mail like regular mail or as if there is someone standing in your office making the request. This type of attention can go a long way in keeping e-mail under control. Be sure to check out the article for additional tips.


Joris Laarman Lab exhibition opening snapshots, New York

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pProbably best known for his a href=”http://www.core77.com/gallery/MILAN%20DESIGN%20WEEK%202006/136.asp?current_image_number=12album_id=19tag=droogcontext_id=3current_photo_id=2380″Heatwave/a radiator produced by Droog, Dutch designer a href=”http://www.jorislaarman.com/”Joris Laarman/a opened his first solo show in the US last night at Friedman Benda. Titled a href=”http://www.friedmanbenda.com/exhibitions/2010-03-04_joris-laarman-lab/”‘Joris Laarman Lab’/a, the show spans work from the last 5 years and has enough mirror-polished surfaces to rival Ron Arad’s a href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/ron_arad_guarded_thoughts_exhibition_photos_new_york_11663.asp”‘Guarded Thoughts’/a shown in the same gallery just over a year ago./p

pLaarman’s beautifully engineered furniture is displayed on stainless tables with cad-like grid patterns etched into them, set against life sized sketches and notes scrawled directly onto the walls. A swooping trail of over sized paper planes reaches out like a massive tentacle leading visitors through a world of mathematics, mad science and tech-noir perfection./p

pHighlights amongst the work included; ‘Leaf Table’, a resin table top with an embedded steel vein pattern, ‘Asimov Chair’ a fully functional futuristic rapid-prototyping concept, and an impressive 5.6 meter high glass and concrete tower ‘In Case of a Thousand Books’./p

pClick through for more photos of the work and the opening./pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/technology/joris_laarman_lab_exhibition_opening_snapshots_new_york__16097.asp”(more…)/a
pa href=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AkcALwdXtnsokc9rTcLpWQ3r9-U/0/da”img src=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/AkcALwdXtnsokc9rTcLpWQ3r9-U/0/di” border=”0″ ismap=”true”/img/abr/
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Citroën Survolt Concept

Dans la lignée directe de la Revolte, voici ce nouveau concept-car présenté au Salon de Genève 2010. Baptisée “Survolt”, il s’agit d’une voiture électrique et pleine de style dotée d’un habitacle élégant et high-tech, issue du centre de design Citroën. Plus de visuels dans la suite.



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Un travail et une direction artistique de Laurent Nivalle.

Previously on Fubiz

Hot In The Hive: Lady Gaga Macbook Decal

imageWhen I first bought my Macbook a few years ago, I was surely proud to be a new Apple owner, but I was already on the prowl for accessories and add-ons to make sure mine didn’t look like every other apple-emblazoned 13″ white gadget being touted to class. While I love the little bling I’ve added to mine, it probably won’t come off without help from some serious power tools. That’s why I wish I had discovered this Lady Gaga Decal from Etsy earlier! Inspired by “The Fame” album cover (or, as some would say, the Golden Age of Gaga), the vinyl decal can be customized to fit the size of your Macbook and created in your favorite color. Plus, what better way to make your laptop stand out than with a little Gaga flavor? Unless, of course, all the kids have them by now; it’s been awhile since I’ve set foot in a lecture hall…

Price: $12.99
Who Found It: xgalexy was the first to add the Lady GaGa Macbook Decal to the Hive.

Experiencing Abstract Information

Une collection de 3 installations interactives autour du sujet de thèse “Experiencing Abstract Information“ par Jochen Winker et Stefan Kuzaj à l’université de sciences appliqués de Schwäbisch Gmünd. Une approche virtuelle et différente de la gestion de données et d’informations.



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Previously on Fubiz

Turning sneakers into sporting surfaces

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pI do Ia lot/I of walking, mostly because of little Betsy here and her adopted brother. I aim for two to three hours a day of urban perambulation, which has destroyed not only my schedule but also my sneakers; I go through running shoes like nobody’s business./p

div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/03/0recycnikegrind002.jpg” width=”468″ height=”535″ alt=”0recycnikegrind002.jpg”//div

pI was still willing to live with this current pair even after I wore most of the treads off, but now that the sole has cracked in the middle and worn off completely at the heel (leading the little Nike Shox absorbers to make an annoying clicking sound), it’s time for a replacement. In a few minutes I’m headed out to the 21 Mercer store to see if I can snag a pair of A HREF=”http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3372767id=20825389113″ these/A, which are only being sold for one day:/p

div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/03/0recycnikegrind003.jpg” width=”468″ height=”480″ alt=”0recycnikegrind003.jpg”//div

pBut what to do with the old pair? I donate all of my old clothes to the Salvation Army, but kicks that aren’t any good to me aren’t gonna be good for a homeless person either, as they probably walk as much if not more than I do. And I don’t just wanna throw ’em out./p

pFollowing up a web tip, I learned that Nike recycles sneakers, and not just some of the sneaker: They separate each one into three parts–the fabric upper, the foam in the midsole, and the rubber from the outsoles–and turn that into a whole new material that they call Nike Grind. /p

blockquote * Nike Grind Rubber, made from the shoe’s outsole, is used in track surfaces, interlocking gym flooring tiles, playground surfacing and even new Nike products…. It’s also used in trim items like buttons and zipper pulls.

p * Nike Grind Foam, made from the shoe’s midsole, is used as a cushion for outdoor basketball and tennis courts, as well as Ifutsal/I (indoor soccer) fields./p

p * Nike Grind Fiber, made from the shoe’s fabric upper, is used in the creation of cushioning pads for facilities like indoor synthetic courts and wood courts./blockquote/p

pThis video shows the process in action in Tempe, Arizona:/p

pobject width=”468″ height=”379″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/CgJlLQCtftEhl=en_USfs=1″/paramparam name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”/paramparam name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”/paramembed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/CgJlLQCtftEhl=en_USfs=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”468″ height=”379″/embed/object/p

pLearn more about the process A HREF=”http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/where-it-goes/recycling-process” here/A.br /
/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/technology/turning_sneakers_into_sporting_surfaces_16057.asp”(more…)/a
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Aurora Watch

Une montre innovante et tactile baptisée “Aurora Watch”, par le designer Jihun Yeom. Dotée d’un simple cadre, l’heure s’affiche directement sur le poignet. Les aiguilles sont présentes sous la forme d’un laser : le faisceau rouge pour les minutes, le bleu pour les heures.



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Previously on Fubiz

Make your own Pong-clock: MONOCHRON

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pPhil Terrone writes in with a great weekend project:/p

pa href=”http://www.ladyada.net/”Hardware hacker “Ladyada”/a has released an open source retro arcade style table tennis for two clock called the a href=”http://www.ladyada.net/make/monochron/”MONOCHRON/a. According to a href=”http://www.ladyada.net/make/monochron/design.html”MONCHRON project page/a they “wanted to make a clock that was ultra-hackable, from adding a separate battery-backed RTC to designing the enclosure so you could program the clock once its assembled.” It includes a ATmega328 processor (with’Arduino’ stk500 bootloader for easy hacking). It’s a href=”http://www.ladyada.net/make/monochron/download.html”completely open source hardware, all firmware, layout and CAD files are yours to mess with/a./pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/technology/_make_your_own_pong-clock_monochron_16050.asp”(more…)/a
pa href=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fEhbe0YwrNg-Ea71zAbmm3SvyX4/0/da”img src=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/fEhbe0YwrNg-Ea71zAbmm3SvyX4/0/di” border=”0″ ismap=”true”/img/abr/
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And The Winner Of The Jawbone ICON Bombshell Headset Is…

imageYou’re picky about what goes near those ears. Gold, diamonds, Tiffany silver – you don’t need an occasion to get your glam on. The Jawbone ICON “Bombshell” Bluetooth headset was made for your stylish life. Designed by Yves Behar, it features all of the top notch specs you want from an earpiece, like NoiseAssassin technology and wind reduction, in one pretty little package that looks more like contemporary jewelry than a necessary tech tool. The tiny headset will whisper caller ID, tell you how much battery life you have left, and even let you download apps to your iPhone that allow you to update your Twitter account, send texts, or record reminders- all by using your voice, not your freshly manicured (or otherwise occupied) hands. Jawbone was rated #1 headset by CNET. The “Bombshell” is sold for $99.99, but we’re giving one away!

Gadget Of The Week: Zumreed Headphones

imageZumreed’s headphones are hardly new, but ever since I saw this photo on the Sartorialist, I can’t get my mind off of them. I don’t normally like clunky tech toys, but something about this candy-colored pair makes it more of an accessory than a gadget, and that is something I can definitely wrap my head around (err… around my head?). There’s an adjustable strap, cushioned earpads, and a stereo plug for top sound quality, so you know they’ll work as beautifully as they look. Get your own pair at Fred Flare!

Price: $65
Who Found It: lisannebee was the first to add the Zumreed headphones to the Hive

Photo credit: The Sartorialist