Google’s New Gmail Meter Breaks Down Your Inbox

Are you good at Gmail? I’m certainly not. I gave up maintaining a trim inbox after years of pitches from public relations people finally broke my will to delete.

But that doesn’t have to happen to you. Google has released information about a new feature called Gmail Meter on its blog. What does it do?

Basically, it breaks down all of your Gmail activity, telling you:

• How many unread messages are in your inbox.
• How long it takes you on average to respond to emails.
• Whom you correspond with most often.
• What time of day you send the most emails.
• Plus a host of other statistics, all organized in a spreadsheet.

Setting up your own report is pretty easy. First, go to Google Docs and create a new spreadsheet. Then go to “Tools” and select “Script Gallery.” Search for Gmail Meter and then install it. Google Docs will then ask for access to your Gmail account; give it the okay and you’re set. Just wait for the email saying the report is ready and then go check it out.

The pure volume of email going in and out of my Gmail account is pretty amazing, which is why a report like this is so helpful. For example, knowing when people are trying to reach me helps me know when I should be near my computer and when it’s okay to take a coffee break. Also, I like how I can rank my friends by who emails me the most, adding the loser to crazy conspiracy email chains from my distant relatives.

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