028 How Many Email Accounts Do You Have, and Why? – ProductivityCast

We all use email every day. It’s hard to imagine work and personal life pre-email technology. And, while it serves many functions, it also tends to multiply in numbers--literally, the number of accounts we create and manage over time. In this episode, the ProductivityCast team discusses how many email accounts we have, and the purpose of each email account in our productivity systems. Enjoy! Give us feedback! And, thanks for listening! If you'd like to discuss this episode, please click here to leave a comment down below (this jumps you to the bottom of the post). In this Cast Ray Sidney-Smith Augusto Pinaud Francis Wade Art Gelwicks Show Notes Resources we mention, including links to them will be provided here. Please listen to the episode for context. Apple Mail Newton Outlook Opera Mail Gmail Inbox by Gmail Thunderbird   Raw Text Transcript Raw, unedited and machine-produced text transcript so there may be substantial errors, but you can search for specific points in the episode to jump to, or to reference back to at a later date and time, by keywords or key phrases. The time coding is h:mm:ss.ms to h:mm:ss.ms (e.g., 0:00:00.000,0:00:04.000 starts at 0.00 seconds and ends at 4 seconds in the cast's audio). Read More 1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,870 are you ready to manage your work and 2 00:00:02,159 --> 00:00:06,120 personal world better to live a 3 00:00:03,870 --> 00:00:07,350 fulfilling productive life then you've 4 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:09,599 come to the right place 5 00:00:07,350 --> 00:00:12,090 productivity cast the weekly show about 6 00:00:09,599 --> 00:00:14,480 all things productivity here are your 7 00:00:12,090 --> 00:00:17,699 hosts Ray Sidney-Smith and Augusto 8 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:20,100 Pinaud Francis Wade and Art Gelwicks 9 00:00:17,699 --> 00:00:22,920 Welcome back everybody to this episode of 10 00:00:20,100 --> 00:00:27,119 productivity cast this is episode zero 11 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:30,510 two eight which is episode 28 how many 12 00:00:27,119 --> 00:00:32,759 email accounts do you have and why so 13 00:00:30,510 --> 00:00:34,620 email is possibly one of the most 14 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:37,500 powerful communications technologies 15 00:00:34,620 --> 00:00:39,660 developed to date harness properly you 16 00:00:37,500 --> 00:00:41,700 can reach almost anyone in the working 17 00:00:39,660 --> 00:00:44,280 world easily and quickly and his email 18 00:00:41,700 --> 00:00:47,039 has grown in its uses so too has the 19 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,030 number of email accounts each of us sort 20 00:00:47,039 --> 00:00:51,539 of has around us 21 00:00:48,030 --> 00:00:53,820 how many email accounts do you have why 22 00:00:51,539 --> 00:00:56,100 do you have them and are multiple email 23 00:00:53,820 --> 00:00:58,770 accounts making you more productive that 24 00:00:56,100 --> 00:01:00,629 is the topic of discussion today here on 25 00:00:58,770 --> 00:01:02,520 productivity cast your question is how 26 00:01:00,629 --> 00:01:08,159 many emails I have four how many emails 27 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:09,780 I want I think it's gonna be a little 28 00:01:08,159 --> 00:01:13,380 bit of both today let's start it off 29 00:01:09,780 --> 00:01:17,310 with the discussion on how many email 30 00:01:13,380 --> 00:01:19,560 accounts each of us does have and then 31 00:01:17,310 --> 00:01:22,200 we'll get into the whys of those things 32 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:26,220 I think it's just important for us to to 33 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:29,970 sort of square up and see what the group 34 00:01:26,220 --> 00:01:31,710 here today is kind of dealing with so 35 00:01:29,970 --> 00:01:36,659 I'll start off and I'll say that I have 36 00:01:31,710 --> 00:01:38,400 four email accounts and the the rest I 37 00:01:36,659 --> 00:01:41,610 have I have several other email 38 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:45,960 addresses but in terms of email accounts 39 00:01:41,610 --> 00:01:48,060 I have four and the aliases the email 40 00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:52,740 addresses that forward to my primary 41 00:01:48,060 --> 00:01:56,520 four accounts are many but but only four 42 00:01:52,740 --> 00:01:58,320 accounts how about you gusto oh I have a 43 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:00,780 little bit more than that 44 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:04,170 I actually don't even know the number I 45 00:02:00,780 --> 00:02:07,380 was opening my iPad to see how many 46 00:02:04,170 --> 00:02:12,739 actually they are so I can count is one 47 00:02:07,380 --> 00:02:13,830 two three four five six seven eight 48 00:02:12,739 --> 00:02:16,410 email 49 00:02:13,830 --> 00:02:20,100 counts plus I manage my two kids so that 50 00:02:16,410 --> 00:02:23,790 will be ten I have my kids off email 51 00:02:20,100 --> 00:02:25,890 addresses and I I have them in there so 52 00:02:23,790 --> 00:02:28,800 I can manage what is coming in what is 53 00:02:25,890 --> 00:02:33,960 coming out and and all that because well 54 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:36,990 you know I think that's important it's 55 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:39,840 it's important to set that I have 56 00:02:36,990 --> 00:02:45,830 so out of those ten accounts two or my 57 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:50,640 kids one is our family account one is my 58 00:02:45,830 --> 00:02:53,370 personal account I also have an email 59 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:55,380 address that every time they say oh can 60 00:02:53,370 --> 00:03:00,240 you subscribe to this but the email I 61 00:02:55,380 --> 00:03:03,150 use so that's a junk email and and then 62 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:07,050 the rest of them are work you know I 63 00:03:03,150 --> 00:03:08,880 have I have a job I have I also am a 64 00:03:07,050 --> 00:03:10,590 writer public speaker that have their 65 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:13,110 own email address and I have a couple of 66 00:03:10,590 --> 00:03:16,560 businesses on the side that have their 67 00:03:13,110 --> 00:03:18,870 own email addresses and so it's 68 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:21,660 challenging to manage ten emails account 69 00:03:18,870 --> 00:03:22,290 yes it is I will I do it in a different 70 00:03:21,660 --> 00:03:24,870 way 71 00:03:22,290 --> 00:03:27,720 no I will not and I will love to get 72 00:03:24,870 --> 00:03:32,670 into more of that as a joke as a show 73 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:35,459 progress I like about fifteen maybe only 74 00:03:32,670 --> 00:03:38,790 three of them are what I would say what 75 00:03:35,459 --> 00:03:41,510 I called public facing so when I set up 76 00:03:38,790 --> 00:03:44,160 an email account that the public can see 77 00:03:41,510 --> 00:03:46,830 it has a very different purpose than one 78 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:50,720 which is hidden so only three of the 15 79 00:03:46,830 --> 00:03:52,650 are for the general public to 80 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:57,810 communicate with me the other serve 81 00:03:52,650 --> 00:04:04,500 different purposes last count I had six 82 00:03:57,810 --> 00:04:07,430 I have three personal and three various 83 00:04:04,500 --> 00:04:10,380 business ones the one that's actually 84 00:04:07,430 --> 00:04:13,260 business address one that's company 85 00:04:10,380 --> 00:04:15,209 address for another company and one 86 00:04:13,260 --> 00:04:17,250 that's a client email address and that's 87 00:04:15,209 --> 00:04:20,130 where things start to get a little goofy 88 00:04:17,250 --> 00:04:21,840 where you get these selective email 89 00:04:20,130 --> 00:04:24,020 addresses that are targeted at a 90 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:26,500 specific audience or that you get 91 00:04:24,020 --> 00:04:28,990 because you need access 92 00:04:26,500 --> 00:04:31,060 something so if so factor you wind up 93 00:04:28,990 --> 00:04:32,860 with another email address just to be 94 00:04:31,060 --> 00:04:35,530 able to get into something so right now 95 00:04:32,860 --> 00:04:38,380 I've got six active the ones that I 96 00:04:35,530 --> 00:04:40,810 really use I'd say there's probably two 97 00:04:38,380 --> 00:04:43,480 and I didn't I didn't include some of 98 00:04:40,810 --> 00:04:45,970 the applications specific email 99 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:49,240 addresses just for audience's 100 00:04:45,970 --> 00:04:50,650 edification like Evernote you know 101 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:53,890 provides you with an email address that 102 00:04:50,650 --> 00:04:55,750 emails items into your as a note into 103 00:04:53,890 --> 00:04:57,490 your system or remember the milk or 104 00:04:55,750 --> 00:05:00,310 todoist where they generate an email 105 00:04:57,490 --> 00:05:02,410 address that we would you know function 106 00:05:00,310 --> 00:05:05,050 to send you things but they send you to 107 00:05:02,410 --> 00:05:05,680 your task inbox as opposed to your email 108 00:05:05,050 --> 00:05:07,960 inbox 109 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,820 so I'm kind I'm kind of separating those 110 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:12,220 maybe that's what we need to think about 111 00:05:09,820 --> 00:05:14,980 with this is that rather than thinking 112 00:05:12,220 --> 00:05:16,840 about email addresses think about email 113 00:05:14,980 --> 00:05:18,430 inboxes places where we're actually 114 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:21,340 sending and receiving email because 115 00:05:18,430 --> 00:05:23,440 you're right if I think about dedicated 116 00:05:21,340 --> 00:05:24,250 email addresses tied to a specific 117 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,980 application 118 00:05:24,250 --> 00:05:29,980 oh I'm easily in double digits without 119 00:05:26,980 --> 00:05:31,630 batting an eye so right and that's why I 120 00:05:29,980 --> 00:05:33,370 was very clear to say email it counts 121 00:05:31,630 --> 00:05:35,229 and not email addresses because yeah 122 00:05:33,370 --> 00:05:37,840 that you could you could easily start to 123 ...