Thanks for pointing out the broken link. That post is from 2009, and the article in the link was quite out of date. I have removed the link from the post.

For more on advanced search terms:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=7190

The search term is :
“filename:XXX”
Allows you to search for an attachment by name or type.

I’m not sure if gmail allows you to search within the content of the attachment (or at least for all types of attachments)

Usually you can set Filters to only be active one way–like on Sent, not Receive. It’s been a while since I’ve been in Gmail, but you could play around with it.

Kelly

Thanks for the tip!

But what happends if the replier erases your text including your code bit and then replies? Then the filter probably won’t work?

And also if the replier replies by creating a competely new mail?

Example: If I delegate via e-mail (who doesn’t?), I BCC the message to my @Waiting For list (“+wf”, see Kelly’s guide for info about using “+” to easily create next actions). The Gmail filter automates labeling and archiving the action so that it’s on my @Waiting For list and out of my Inbox.

Here’s the magic: When I get a reply e-mail from the “delegated to” person, Gmail processes the reply as part of the conversation and automatically labels the incoming message according to the rest of the conversation. So, I immediately see that the new message is a result (or at least in the thread of) an @Waiting For action because of the bright red label next to the subject that says, “@Waiting For” (and other labels, like the name of the project), and I can instantly access the entire thread. If the reply doesn’t complete the action, I can continue the conversation with the “delegated to” person without having to change any labels or create any new next actions.

I think this is brilliant! It makes staying on top of delegated actions a snap, and it’s great for adding notes and files to projects and next actions; those items (as messages) are just added to the conversation thread as text or attachments.

The second upshot to archiving instead of deleting is probably common sense, but remember that Gmail is super searchable. I don’t know if finding notes, files, reference materials related to actions or old project content could be easier.

A final thought: I was very reluctant about migrating our company’s messaging infrastructure (our “Trusted System”) from Exchange Server with Blackberry to Google Apps with Blackberry, iPhone, etc… It was a real leap of faith, I guess. I hate to sound like an evangelist for Google Apps, but the switch has honestly been fun for everyone. We all follow GTD, and the learning curve was super quick, and, btw, the system works great with our mobile devices. (And the fiscal payoff is pretty amazing too.)

I had a lot of uncertainty and questions when we started talking about migrating to Google Apps. If you’re a Google Apps user or if you’d like to have a conversation about using Google Apps and GTD (especially about portability), I’m glad to help. Contact info is below.

Thanks, Kelly, for pointing me in the right direction!!

Fellow GTDer,

Jason Gilbert,
Project Manager
The Michael Jay Company
jason@mjayco.com

1. Create a label called @Waiting For if you don’t have one already
2. Go to Settings (top right corner), click on Filters tab
3. Click Create a New Filter
4. Add your email address to the From field
5. Add a unique keyword, such as *wf, in the Has the Words field
6. Click Next step
7. Check off Skip the Inbox” and “Apply the Label: @Waiting For”
8. Click Create Filter

Test it out by sending yourself a test message and put your unique code somewhere in the body of the message. What this will do is save you from having to cc: yourself (and then process it again out of In) or dig through Sent mail to get the stuff that you’re waiting on from someone else. A copy of your email will automatically get filed under your @Waiting For label.