Handling email with Mail and OmniFocus

[mthar1]

E-mail is an issue and I identified the problem but don't yet have a solution.

For junk e-mails I scan for possible good ones and trash the rest
For e-mails I just need to read but maybe need later I read and file in Reference.
For e-mails I need to read but then will likely never need again, invitations to meetings I won't attend are typical of this type, I read then trash
For e-mails I can respond to quickly I read and respond and then file the mail in Reference.
For e-mails that generate specific actions for one or more projects I use hot keys to enter in those actions to my Omnifocus inbox and then file the e-mail.

There are 2 types of e-mails where my processes are not working:
e-mails that generate one or more next actions but then also need a reply via e-mail with results
e-mails that need a long reply. These usually have parts of the previous messages quoted in them.

I'm going to go back and review Omnifocus integration with mail but as of right now I can't easily handle either case once I move a copy of the message to OF. So those messages are the ones that stay in my inbox and tend to build up forming the backlog.

Other Omnifocus users, How have you handled these types of e-mails?

I've tried moving them to a new folder but they get lost there. I'm somewhat of a, if I can't see it it's gone, person and I never got back to the Action Folder to finish the tasks when I tried that. Are there other techniques or tricks you use?

I don't use Apple Mail but Postbox, but I think the same should work in Mail too.

When creating a new item in OmniFocus regarding an email that I need to refer back to for replying or quoting, I also make sure to create a link to that particular email in Postbox. Then, whenever I need to find that email, I can just click the link in OmniFocus and the email opens in Postbox, even if that email is already in my Archive folder.

 

[Oogiem]

When creating a new item in OmniFocus regarding an email that I need to refer back to for replying or quoting, I also make sure to create a link to that particular email in Postbox.

How are you doing that?

I currently use the Mail Clip-O-Tron and within it the hot key combination of shift option command period send either the highlighted piece or the entire message to my Omnifocus inbox. I still haven't read the mail integration, I think there is away to have the Clip-O-Tron include a link to the original mail.

 

[mthar1]

How are you doing that?

I currently use the Mail Clip-O-Tron and within it the hot key combination of shift option command period send either the highlighted piece or the entire message to my Omnifocus inbox. I still haven't read the mail integration, I think there is away to have the Clip-O-Tron include a link to the original mail.

Oh, I just drag and drop the email from the inbox in Postbox to the item in OmniFocus. I just need to make sure the action item is not in edit mode, as that would just gives me the name of the email and not a link.

But now that I look at it again, it seems like just using the "OmniFocus: Send to Inbox" service works just as well for me and does also create a link to the original email. That might be something that Postbox does of course...

 

[Oogiem]

using the "OmniFocus: Send to Inbox" service works just as well for me and does also create a link to the original email.

I must have had something set wrong because it wasn't working but I reset a bunch of stuff on my machine and now it is, thanks!