G2G email (Good to Go) (Go to Google)

Wow! That’s left-field thinking Good start.

None of the ideas really call out to me. What about something from GTD thought/philosophy that could be a throwback to the old name & the core of the system. I’ll try to think up am example…

Stupid iPod Touch over-autocorrecting…

That’s not a bad idea, something inspired by GTD concepts. Or the benefits of using GTD.

I like TaskMail best.

Porus is lousy because the whole point of me using GTD is so that I don’t let things fall through the cracks and something that is Porous is the exact opposite of what I want my InBox to be!

Ha ha, a leaky inbox?! The original intent was something more fluid, how tasks come in and out of the inbox. But I take your point There’s something interesting you hinted at.. a concept that the ideal solution is ‘self-contained’, ‘guided flow’.

Inbox Guru!

I did at one point consider going much more wordy, with names like ‘Emails Are Tasks’ and ‘Living In Email’, but their acronyms are EAT and LIE respectively… not exactly ideal

Have you considered licensing the GTD trademark specifically for use in this single application (GTDinbox)? Perhaps David Allen Co. would do so at no charge. It’s a very descriptive name.

But if not, I would agree with the poster who suggested trying to find a core GTD concept that’s not trademarked. Maybe “Actionable”?

clean-box

clear-mail

DoItMail (DIM)

Whenever I recommend GTD Inbox to a friend it is always because they have 1000(+) emails in their inbox. Why not play on the core idea of ‘getting to zero’:
*Zero Inbox*
*Empty Inbox*

Or play on the idea of turning emails into actions:
*Active Inbox*

Or maybe just be descriptive:
*No-Longer-A-Huge-Meaningless-List Inbox*

Just a few ideas

How about “ActionBox”?

From, the lists, I most like MailWorks (or Mailworks), although you will have noticed you would not be the first users. I would collapse TaskInbox to TaskBox, and Taskify has a certain rakish appeal. If you wish to go Latinate, I would suggest Actus rather than Porus, which plays nicely if obscurely off “agenda”.

other suggestions:
Action Mail
Getting Mail Done
Whip Mail
Mail Whip
Work Box
Done Box

Best,
M.

So far I like Actus the most. G2G could work, Only because I know that you can never know what hair brained idea might trigger a winner for someone else I’ll throw in for consideration “OutBoxDone”, “TaskFlo”, TaskBoxOut”, “TISO or TaskInSignOut”. AreWeDoneYet, OneTouchForManyTasks, TaskAtHand, GAD GoodAndDone, I’m done, at least for now. Annon

WrightMail (with a little logo of the Wright brothers, flying for the first time)
MailWorker (work your mail, don’t dump it)
I liked mailpro too, but apparently that exists all over the english world
mailgroomer

And from the above comments I liked Actus and Getting Mail Done

Some initial thoughts are:

Evolving E-mail

Greatmail

E-mail2 (the 2 should be small above ie to the power of 2) or E-mail 2.0 – A whole new level like web 2.0!

I will ponder on….

How about Mail-Wizard, or Mail-Wiz? It’s done magic to my inbox (letting everything disappear) and then re-appear somewhere else (in Projects, Contexs or Statuses) where they actually make sense and make me feel in control – not overwhelmed….

Hi Chip (and Rich just above you, who appears to be on a similar trait) – we did considered EmptyInbox, although I prefer ZeroInbox. ClearMail works well too, although is probably a little close the Clear Context guys on Outlook.

ActiveInbox is fun. My only hesitation (and this affects Alex’s ActionBox below) is that starting with ‘Act’ seems very unmemorable. I’m not sure if it’s action itself, or the vowel, but it’s a very soft opener.

Ah, some wonderful suggestions here. Actus is very cool (and actually contradicts my point to Chip and Alex above, in that it is memorable).

TaskBox had been considered, and I actually like it’s brevity. I think the reason it was not shortlisted was because conceptually, it conjures up something that goes ‘into’ email, rather than ‘transforms’ email. I.e. something small and physical and restricted, rather than something that fuses into everything. That may be a distinction that exists only in my mind!

Getting Mail Done is a hoot too. GMD? Sounds a little WMD! Maybe it is of ‘mass destruction’… to wasteful email at least

Hi Susan,

I do like the notion of evolved as that does sum up what we’re trying to do. Take email to the next level, turning it into something else. (I’m a little more down on anything 2.0 – it dates!).

Just wanted to throw in a thank you to everyone so far – thank you!

It seems Actus is taken, both as a domain and on Twitter. Shame.

Gmail with GTDInbox is about managing actionable email (tasks, projects and reference material). I am often confronted with hundreds of email – sorting and determining next actions needs to be concise and quick. The task/project management apps I have found most beneficial are RTM, Toodledo, and my favorite, Todoist – each have the ability to link a Gmail email to a task on the fly. Still, there are many tasks, projects and references that I manage within Gmail using GTDInbox. When I read an email, my first question is, of course, ‘Is it actionable?’ So, I like the ideas about action mail. I would also like to offer the following:
Actionable email = eAction
Actionable Gmail = gAction
Gmail, plus GTDInbox (or gAction) for GTD = G3 (G to the power of 3)

Keep up the great work Andy!!!

I really like Getting Mail Done, but it may be seen as infringing on GTD — thought that is our history.

I was actually looking for something with Tame: Tame My Mail, TameMail, Mail Tamer. With the latter, you could show a whip+chair+snapshot of an inbox with 200 unread emails….

LOL

As much as the acronym alarms me, that it quite catchy!

Does GMD work as an acronym? Maybe GMDInbox, although that’s essentially stating email twice. (Just thinking it’s quite hard to fit ‘Getting Mail Done’ into small spaces – the sidebar box, for instance).

The idea of some sort of bruising lion tamer armed with a whip and email cowering into line is very fun imagery… but worringly, I’ve just checked the dictionary and the other meaning of tame is “flat and uninspiring” . It’s not got the edge that suggests something powerful is being done to your email!

HandyMail
WorkingMail
LifeSaverMail
OrgMail
ProcMail
MailFlow
PowerMail
StrongMail
MailTool
GR8Mail
EffectiveMail
MailRedeux
MailEffect
ProductiveMail
MailDOM
IdealMail
BlazingMail
LightningMail
DoMail
JustMail
TaskMail
MailWarrior, and…
MailForce (be with you)

keep up the good work!!

Some ideas:

* InboxCleaner
* InboxManager
* EmptyInbox
* ZeroInbox
* GetInboxDone
* Dinbox

YOU keep up the good work! That’s a crazily long list

Interestingly, MailFlow was the former front runner – but it’s well and truly taken by a competitor.

I quite like EffectiveMail and MailRedux. MailWarrior is also notable, but it’s too close to ‘road warrior’ (and thus has a very mobile theme, which isn’t a strength of ours!).

I really like Getting Mail Done or GMD for short. Other ideas:

TaskBurner
Gmail to Zero

Or better yet, simply:

“Outbox”

A few suggestions..

I thought of TaskBox – I like what it says, but too clunky. So I suggest “TBox”. Folks would fill-in the meaning of the “T” mentally very quickly. I like this.

Going a different route – something more descriptive of what, for me, is the essence of what GTDInbox adds to mail: MailCluster. Too clunky, but I like the “cluster” concept. Not sure how to fix the name..

Good luck, and thanks for all the work! I will keep thinking about it.

Good names!
Just wanted to warn you about G2G. It may be interpreted as Government to Government (G2G) that is a concept that refers to the services and relationships between governments through internet in e-goverment literature.

EffectiveInbox

Among those already listed “GetMailDone” and “ZeroInbox” are my favorites.
From my side:

MailOnTrack
MailMadeEasy
RegainYourMail

Email Maestro

The connotation is that it handles everything by a refined well respected professional.  The downside is that it is not terribly descriptive.

MailCluster certainly is interesting. It certainly appeals to something in my nature.

I do think it conjures up more of an image of grouping emails into topics than pure tasks, but I suppose we are clustering around Actions, Projects, People, etc. (And the idea of clustering around topics is certainly a feature I’d like to explore in the future, but that’s for another post on another day!).

Thanks Marina, that’s a very useful tip off!

This really is a super appealing name (although possible spelling issues!). A contraction to consider is MailMaestro. It’s definition is “an artist of consummate skill” – something we’d all like to be

‘Emails are not letters, emails are tasks’ – so it removes the mail aspect:

De-mail

Or focusses you on what’s important:

Key-mail

Or:
Empty Inbox
Email Out
Post Strike
Inbox Ticked
Mail Flow
Action Inbox
Inbox Out
Zmail (for zero)
GoneMail
MailStream
DoneBox
TagTime
2minute Mail
Inbox Better
Send Sooner
Paradigm
Actionable Inbox

or mailmanage

Mailstro?

Hi Mike,

Post Strike is powerful, although possibly too militant (Are you UK based? Very relevant if so!).

I actually like Zmail, it’s very tight. The only concern there is it might be assumed to be a competitor to Gmail (rather than a transformer).

2MinMail, or TwoMinMail (TMM) has something special as a name, but to counter it, it does lean more towards ‘speed’ rather than ‘control’. (Your ‘MailManage’ actually represents that).

And Paradigm is always a great word. But I’m sure nobody ever really knows what it means (it may just be me!). From the dictionary, “the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time”. Well, given we’re not the accepted perspective for email, does that make us a Paradigm Shift?! That might be a name for a spin off for professors and other users of intellectual bearing

My favourites:

Getting Mail Done
Zero Inbox

and a very descriptive but not so catchy one:

InboxManager (or catchier versions: GManager?)

Now, one line of thinking I haven’t seen so far is the idea that emails are just the medium. Life has many inboxes, and GTDInbox is dealing with email inbox. The rest is all GTD. That is what I think makes this hard to describe, besides GTDInbox which is almost perfect .

My takes? Well, not a full name, but an idea. Aikido (or many other martial arts) works by turning the oponent’s energy in your benefit, something like turning reactive into proactive. Connect a martial art concept with email or inbox and you may get a descriptive and catchy name. But hey, I am not very creative with this things.

Porous also sounds like Poor Us, and we don’t a name that can easily be made fun of.

What I love the most with GTDInbox is that it helps me to know what to do right now, what is my next task. It is the single killer feature that I need in my life to, well, get things done

Therefore I suggest

NextMail

As in next mail (or task) to be handled, but also as in an evolution in how mail is handled in general as a concept.

There are a lot of good options here. Actus appeals the most to me because it isn’t too confining in its descriptiveness. Since the plan is to add a lot of functionality to GTDI, which will take it far beyond simple inbox management, I wouldn’t want to use a name that made it sound limited to that. Then, as the product develops, you have to keep explaining that it does more than just what its name says. However, it also connotes actus reus, the legal term a guilty act, i.e., the act that must be proved to secure a conviction. It is also the name of a communist political party in Chad.

I want to sleep on this before making any suggestions of my own.

I understand the need to move away from GTD and I would like offer my opinion on the name thing.

> TaskMail—Nope–Too Microsoft-y

> TaskInbox—Nope–Same as above

> Porus — uninformative

Others in consideration:

> Taskify — nope

> MailWorks– Nope

> MailTasks–Nope

> Kuleana–uninformative

If you use the gmail model of referring to the user as “me”, could you consider a name like

MyMail
MyDay
MyDesk
MyInbox

Something that acknowledges the ownership and decision making which must be done to use the tool with the help of your tool.

PS Using newly invented words for for application names is so 20th century. You only have to view a list of automobile names over the years to see what scraping the bottom of the name barrel provides.

A fan Star Trek, I always kind of liked how there was a crew member who was the manager of shipboard operations (“Ops”). I use GtdInbox in that fashion. One definition of operations management: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Operations management is an area of business concerned with the production of goods and services, and involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as little resource as needed, and effective in terms of meeting customer requirements. It is concerned with managing the process that converts inputs (in the forms of materials, labour and energy) into outputs (in the form of goods and services).

I would suggest something like MailOps. It suggests efficiency and a tool to manage not just the input and output but also to manage the process of getting from in to out.

A communist party in Chad?! Well I mean we’re pretty sharing – and my car’s got more than a whiff of 1980′s Soviet chic – but name checking our ‘brothers’ in Chad might be a step too far

Is there perhaps a variation of Actus? Acctus, Acttus, Actuus, Actuss.

I do agree that a name with room to grow is good, but the original appeal of the TaskMail-esque names was that they only described the very ‘core’ of what we did (emails as tasks, which is the foundation for everything – and therefore a good introduction for new users who can grow into the rest of the product).

I think it’s also the reason to favour names that allude to a more general aspirational benefit (MasterfulMail) rather than specifics.

Hi Tim,

I definitely like the imagery of some sort of ‘overseeing assistant’ that takes responsibility for making you – by way of your email – as effective as can be.

“Ops”, however, says ‘backend’ stuff to me. A B2B company that perhaps makes mail server tools (not a bad direction, but not right for GTDInbox!). But I do like the concept…

The good news is that Actus isn’t a trademark that would affect us. Another name is Actu, although that’s also taken.

Looking at Mozilla’s new RainDrop, it reminded me of 37 Signals naming style. They essentially take the core essence of their product, and give it a physical representation.

So, for project management – all about overcoming big undertakings – they called it Basecamp (as in Everest’s Basecamp).

And for their new release, something that helps you find a good designer out of the many available – like a needle in a haystack – they called it… wait for it… Haystack

I have been trying to make a connection to a real world concept for GTDI, and the closest I got was Engine (where emails are like the fuel, and it takes them and spits out useful outputs like opportunities and goal achievement).

But unfortunately, ‘Engine’ is used extensively within the software/game world to mean foundational platforms that other software is built over; not front-end tools.

It is a very enticing direction though.

been using GTDInbox for few weeks now.. read this IEEE-CS article few days back..

http://www.computer.org/portal/web/computingnow/1009/whatsnew/software?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=The+Task-Based+Interface%3A+Not+Your+Father%26%238217%3Bs+Desktop&utm_content=shakeeltariq%40gmail.com&utm_campaign=CN34–October+21+2009

It struck me that GTDInbox should be there in the list, its also a very effective Task Based Interface.

So.. I think the name should convey the message that its a task based interface.. I guess:

TBox

TaskBox

TaskMail

and maybe..

SmartBox

What about:

MailWare
MindWare
SmartMail

GTDInbox has helped Gmail evolve into… “NextBox”

How about “Tinbox”?

Kind of catchy..

MyInb0x (zero instead of oh)

Gotta give my vote to Kuleana. It’s a wonderfully nuanced word in Hawaiian with many dead-on perfect conotations for GTDInbox. Aloha has done well in the restaurant software business and Akamai is another company named after a complex Hawaiian word that beautifully encompasses its mission.

Outbox is dead elegant.

Lots of great ideas here!

Best to all,
M.

What’s the antihesis? Clutter, overkill, confusion, procrestination, uneasiness. Email hell. You want to avoid anything that conjures up negatively loaded emotional pictures in this direction. So no Task-anything! Emails are tasks, get rid of all of them.

The emphasis is on the peace of mind, the desired state. Getting your life back from email.

So my favourites here were:

Getting Mail Done (can it get any better?),
DoneBoxx
GoneMail
De-mail, Dmail
Zer0inbox

Some minor variations on the same:

Gemailinho
chillabel
Trustbox
getmaildone, gemadoo
Getedeo
Mailvibe
tagflow
Basta!

GroutBox (www.groutbox.com is available)

Definitions of grout on the Web:

* bind with grout; “grout the bathtub”
* a thin mortar that can be poured and used to fill cracks in masonry or brickwork
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* Grout is a construction material used to embed rebars in masonry walls, connect sections of pre-cast concrete, fill voids, and seal joints (like those between tiles). …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grout

TidyTasker.com is available too

TidyTasker.com is available too

Avoid cool names or obscure ones. The name should say what it does:

I like:

ActionMail
ZeroInbox
EmptyInbox
GetMailDone
and others in that style.

How about one for the feminists:
MailSlayer

Brian

I don’t really like the names with “Task” in them… Mostly I don’t think it sounds good but I also agree with Marc above that you don’t really want to focus on having a lot of task either… I like the names on themes of emptying your inbox, forcing mail into a “flow”, and seeing GTDinbox as next-gen mail…

So, a mix of suggestions I like from above with a few new ones,in approximate order with the ones I like best first first:

Zinbox
ZeroInbox
Thinbox – keep your inbox from getting fat… (Keep it active, give it exercise, etc
FlowBox
Zmail
NextMail
NewBox – have only new things in your inbox
NextBox
FreshBox – keep it fresh
ThroughBox – mail goes _through_ your inbox – it does not stay there
NGinbox – The Next-Generation Inbox
Getting Mail Done
Inbox++, Inbox^2
Mail++

/Daniel

I like the names with Zero in them. When I first read the post about the name change, what popped into my head was “InboxZero”

Thank you Peter for picking up on this, it’s a word I like a lot.

As I didn’t introduce the rationale behind any of the names put forward, I’ll share it now…

From Rosa Say’s Managing with Aloha,
“Kuleana is one’s personal sense of responsibility. A person high in this value will be quick to say, “I accept my responsibilities, and I will be held accountable.” As a value Kuleana speaks the workplace language of self-motivation, effective delegation, ownership, empowerment, and personal transformation.”

Personally, I like it, but it’s clear we have a big divide between people who like descriptive names, and people who like good words regardless of their description.
Ideally we’d have a good AND descriptive word (see my comment about 37 Signal’s above), but an undescriptive word is workable, as we can transform the meaning of it to what we do (think of Mozilla, Firefox, Apple, and even the smaller guys like Balsamiq, etc.). It just forces us to be very very good at what we do to leave an impression – not a bad constraint

Slipstream

A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid (typically air or water) is moving at velocities comparable to the moving object (in comparison to the ambient fluid through which the object is moving).[1] The term slipstream also applies to the similar region adjacent to an object with a fluid moving around it. The reason that “slipstreaming” or “drafting” works is because of the relative motion of the fluid in the slipstream. -Wiki-

The idea being that we are moving at a rather high speed through our life, there are many things that we need to do. A slipstream is in essence the “stuff” that is keeping up with us, or we being able to keep up with our “stuff”. Also having the word stream in your title would convey the thought of some kind of flow, something going smoothly, in this case “stuff” being broken down into tasks, and dealt with accordingly.

I’m digging Zinbox. That might be one of my favourites.

Andy,
Here are the results of some brainstorming I did about your new name. The vast majority of these names could be combined with: Cockpit, or
Dashboard, or
Control panel, or
Coordinator, or
something to that effect.
Emailing Things Done
Getting Email Done
Inbox Zero
Zero Inbox
Email
Information workers
Info-work
Info-worker(s)
I-work
I-worker(s)
E-work
E-worker(s)
E-comm
I-comm
Email task
E-task
I-task
Email-to- task
Email task
Taskflow
Inbox-to-task-flow
Inbox-to-out-task
Inbox-out-task
Inbox-to-out-tasker
Out-tasker
Inbox out-tasker
Email out-tasker
I-work out-tasker
E-work out-tasker
Out-task
Task-out
Inbox taskmaster
Taskmaster
Workflow
Life
E-life
I-life
Life-work
E -
I -
Task ninja
Task ninja
I-task ninja
E-task ninja
Email task ninja
Email ninja
E-ninja
I-ninja
Groove
I-groove
E-groove
Groove ninja
I-groove ninja
E-groove ninja
Ninja groove
I-groove
I-groove ninja
E-groove
E-groove ninja
Life ninja
Work ninja
Task groove
Action
Ninja action
Next action ninja
E-work ninja
Email action
Next action

I hope this helps,
Hermenute

Zenbox

Dolphin

Being a Type A person, I like to organize things, to put them where they belong so I always know where to find them, I like to leave notes to remind myself of thing I need to get done. I like labels, folders, reminders – anything that frees up MY brain.

Was it Einstein that said you do NOT have to remember everything, only remember where to find the information you need? For the life of me I can NOT find the quote online.

But, let’s say it was Einstein that said that – then perhaps a name like EinsteinInbox.
Of course, if people haven not heard the quote the name will not have relevenace, unless you made the quote your ‘motto’.

Here are a couple more names that come to mind – favorite being WorkSmartEmail

Efficient Mail
Succinct Mail
LessISMoreMail
WorkSmartEMail *** favorite
TimeISmoneyMail
MorePlayTimeMail

And for our SciFi fans “MakeIthappenInbox
Or for our solders “IAMONITinbox
or RogerThatInbox

How about a reference to Artificial Intelligence
AIInbox
ArtIntellInbox
IRobotInbox

How about a reference to a personal assistant
PDAInbox

Pandora

Andy,
Here are the results of some brainstorming I did about your new name. The vast majority of these names could be combined (suffix) with: Cockpit, or Dashboard, Control panel, or Coordinator, or something to that effect.

Emailing Things Done
Getting Email Done
Inbox Zero
Zero Inbox
Email
Information workers
Info-work
Info-worker(s)
I-work
I-worker(s)
E-work
E-worker(s)
E-comm
I-comm
Email task
E-task
I-task
Email-to- task
Email task
Taskflow
Inbox-to-task-flow
Inbox-to-out-task
Inbox-out-task
Inbox-to-out-tasker
Out-tasker
Inbox out-tasker
Email out-tasker
I-work out-tasker
E-work out-tasker
Out-task
Task-out
Inbox taskmaster
Taskmaster
Workflow
Life
E-life
I-life
Life-work
E -
I -
Task ninja
Task ninja
I-task ninja
E-task ninja
Email task ninja
Email ninja
E-ninja
I-ninja
Groove
I-groove
E-groove
Groove ninja
I-groove ninja
E-groove ninja
Ninja groove
I-groove
I-groove ninja
E-groove
E-groove ninja
Life ninja
Work ninja
Task groove
Action
Ninja action
Next action ninja
E-work ninja
Email action
Next action

I hope this helps,
Hermenute

Hermes-G
Rhododendron
Dendrite (and Variations Dendrite-G Dendrite-Mail..)
FLR (Frontal Lobe Relieve — could not resist
Windhorse
Pegasus (that is taken)
Dolphin (or any combination)

Andy:

Yes, I understand your predicament. Many sleepless nights.
Went through all the names and while I was reading the post I thought of TaskMail and lo what a coincidence I found it in your list.

You could also consider
ActUs
And EasyMail.

Best

eMailSanity: therapy for your inbox

Another late addition to go with my suggestions:

Inbox Zero Hero

My vote is for Porus. It seems like everything cool has some abstract name that doesn’t explicitly describe its function but ends up becoming synonymous with what it does in the end. Prominent examples are Google and Amazon. TaskInbox is terribly clunky. But if you feel strongly you’d like a descriptive element, there’s a happy medium in names such as hermenute’s Task Ninja.

- Zero Tolerance Inbox
- Gmail Done
- Inb0x (with cero)
- Classimailer
- Gmail Doer
- Gmail Done
- Gmautilus
- Taskinator
- Work Complete

Praxis (from the ancient greek word for works/action/process – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxis_(process) )
iPraxis (e.g. I get things done)
inboxPraxis (e.g. inbox process /practice / workflow)

Inbox Wrangler
Inbox Redux
Inbox Detox
First Response
Email First Aid
Taskolator

Zerobox

ActionInbox has an active, descriptive and short name to it.

–frank

ClassTask
TaskDealer
Taskatron

TinBox (abbreviated form of Task-Inbox). It’s easy to say, cute, derived from a description (task-inbox), a combination of two real words, and can be physically represented by a mailbox made of tin; a traditional material for mailboxes. The domain (tinbox.com) is taken, but could possibly be purchased since it’s not really used for anything but pseudo-advertising.

Hey, how about ‘taGtask’?
or ‘taGTaskeD’ – which delivers the tagging of tasks feeling, while it keeps the GTD acronym alive visually.

Its a keeper. ain’t it?

Or even shorter:
GTaskeD

In-Do-It

Suggestions for a new name:

Marcus or Aura – both references to Marcus Aurelius one of whose central messages was ‘do your job and do it well’

RailMail – keep on track

MailGun – accelerate your email

Inbox0 (that’s a zero)

TaskBox

Get ‘er Done!

CloudMail – really just a bald-faced hop onto the ‘cloud computing’ band wagon

=>Inbox=>

Transilience

Nike – Winged Victory!
NikeMail

MercuryMail

AuroraMail – let a new day dawn on your Inbox

“TaskInBox” IMO seems the most descriptive.

%mail% names can easily be confused with email clients instead of the GTD philosophy/approach to handling tasks/emails – so I would discourage their use.

IMO distinctive names are a poor choice — unless one has the financial/advertising resources to make them a household word. Descriptive names are more likely to draw people looking for functionality.
–

Your concern about trademarks is wise. Having worked with non-profits, I’ve seen this problem — and it can become a real pain. Pro-actively addressing it gives you more time to think about it.
–

Thanks for your work and the great product!

MercuryMail is nice in suggesting fast flow, value—quick/silver—and of course the winged messenger of the gods.

Hi,

my first idea was “eTask” like hermenute already suggested.

“email to task” spelled like “e2t” is also handy to me

Best regards
Thomas

Have you guys have reached out to David Allen to discuss a perpetual license to the name?

I say this because in my mind, if you could reach a mutually agreeable contract, this would be ideal: You wouldn’t have to rebrand, and the mutually beneficial association between GTD and GTDInbox could continue.

Basically you’ve got the perfect name now. It increases awareness of GTD as GTDInbox becomes more popular, and as GTD becomes more popular, you get more users.

I had a few.
I liked Praxis, but what I like better is

AXIS
It is simple, clean and visual. It is a starting point or a crossroads. It is very functional and makes you think about where you are going. It sounds a little like access which is what you really do with data. You don’t store it, you access it and use it. Also it starts with an A and it is ripe for a fun, memorable design with typography.

I don’t think you need descriptive. It will brand itself into the name.

I kinda like Dale’s – “Pandora”. It’s in the box, let it out. Free your inbox!

suggestion for site: Kalm.com

How about IWP: Inbox With Purpose

I’d like a distinctive name,
but it’s better also to have something that help to recognise the product.

Task@Mail
T@skM@il

or
myTaskMail, myTMail, myTM@il

would be interesting…

Inbox Office Manager

First, just to get it out of my system, how about “Git-R-Done Mail”

Or the G. W. Bush equivalent: “Taskification”

Moving on… I liked the first commenter’s suggestion of “Zenbox”. “Inbox Zero” is certainly descriptive, but not unique.

Some of my own suggestions:

* Inboxer
* Apollo (as in Apollo Creed, a master [fictional] boxer)
* Deputize (depute is another word for delegate)

I vote HairSaver. It’s what it does for me.

On a “real” note:

InboxZero
MailFlow
InboxSiesta (I have a siesta after I check my mail at noon)

Great idea! Taking full ownersjip of your brand is a timely step.

A few things that sprung to mind, though.

You (and David Allen) just don’t use the word “task” in your branding and language at all. It’s all “action” and “next action” – even your buttons are labelled this way. So why use “task” in your main brand? Could this confuse folks?

So reworked versions of your favourites could be:

ActionMail
ActionInBox (though to keep it snappy, what about just “ActionBox”?)

I really prefer “action” to “task” anyway. “Action” sounds dynamic and fun, whereas “task” really just sounds like work! – maybe just me, tha one?

If you prefer to go down the Web 2.0 route, it really should be a totally unique “non-word” brand. I know everyone is doing it, but for good reason. If you invent a new word (or spelling tweak) as your company or product brand, you can totally own it in Google and social media channels – and so raise your profile more easily that way.

I can sense you prefer the descriptive types of brand though, but there is one way to have your cake and eat it too! So, what about some word mangling, rather than totally anonymous brands?

Taking the “action-ified” versions of your favourites, you could alter the spelling a bit to have:

ActionInBoxx
ActionBoxx
AxnInbox
AxnBox

Of course “Action” is not such a great word to mangle into a shorter web 2.0 spelling, but maybe other dynamic words with similar meaning would work?

GoInBoxx
GoBoxx

Or maybe a play on words for completed action lists? – a VERY positive vibe there! – and what your product (and the methodology) is all about – Getting Things “Done”…

TickBoxx
TixBox
TixxBoxx

If you wanted to go all-out Web 2.0 quirk, you could always use just some short sharp some word mangling around those GTD fav buzz words?

axn (for GMail)
nxtaxn (for GMail)

Anyway, just a few thoughts… good luck!

Paul

My favorite names so far would be…

ActionInbox — I think it makes a lot of sense to keep “box” or “inbox” in the name somehow especially since you’ve got that great box design for the logo. Taking action on your inbox by turning emails into tasks sounds like what GTDinbox is about.

Getting Mail Done, Get Mail Done … I like the connection to Getting Things Done…. as long as it’s different enough to avoid the legal concerns… GMD sorta sounds like a degree of some sort which you could play on… I got my GMD… but I wouldn’t be as fond of the name GMD inbox… and I see Andy’s point about the name size being an issue fitting in certain areas.

A few thoughts on other possible names…

Unbox (A play on Inbox came to mind when someone else said “Free your inbox” — my email definitely needed to be freed, it was more like a prison for emails or an email bermuda triangle — before GTDinbox. If this was an option maybe it could be the word Inbox with a U overlayed or positioned in a way to highlight the “inbox / Unbox wordplay).

Inboxing – Probably too generic but I was picturing GTDinbox as changing email into a verb rather than a noun… fighting with your inbox seems appropriate

Anyway those are my thoughts… I do like ActionInbox, and although I might like the sound of Taskbox… I feel like GTDinbox is about more than just tasks it’s the motion, action, productivity that’s created in essence.

I wish I had more names to offer… great to see everyone’s feedback and ideas.

SYM = Sort Your Mail
or also
Sort Your Mailbox

on your original shortlist, i’d go for TaskMail
not exactly cool, but it does the job.

ActionInbox is too long and sounds wierd phonetically.
Get Mail Done would do…

IPraxis gets my vote!

Get On With It

gowith

I was thinking of Realmail or some thing on the lines of that…

Pandora sounds great, at first, but once you get past the “…’s Box,” the connotation is not a good one (remember everything that was let OUT of that box?).

I second the idea of a meaningless or Latin/Greek-rooted word, something like Kodak or Xerox – it will become memorable on its own.

And just a one word name, PLEASE! It doesn’t need to explain what the app is…it just needs to identify it.

I like “TinBox”, suggested above, and would like to add “InPraxis”, which has all the coolness of Praxis with an Inbox reference and a play on “in practice” – what it’s all about.

nextup
nextbox
digout
dugout
doneomite
unbox
outoftheinbox
“out of the inbox thinking”
mailtootask

I vote for Mail2Done – the mail2done.com domain name is available!!! No hits on the trademark office website, either. Branding nirvana is yours for the taking.

suggestions regarding name for the product—

proposed initial criteria to consider for naming the product:
1) The Web user must “know” or have a very good idea of what he/she is selecting BEFORE clicking, not after (This is in contrast to print media.). Otherwise, one is less likely to click on it, because it could lead to a dead-end and waste time, not save it.
2) The nature of this product is directly related to email but transformative in nature. The name should reflect this.
3) since the product is integrative in nature – allowing one to organize and customize, it is inherently intriguing; that is, one thinks it would be/should be relatively easy and quick to learn how to use it, being almost intuitive. It leverages existing patterns of individuals’ workflows, rather than re-designing them. so this feels “easy” and “worth” lookng into, as it may not take much time to learn.

off the top of my head—

transformail
Mailworks
Lifemail
productomail
morphmail
morphomail
integramail
organomail
Miraclemail
Effectomail
MailAdvantage
MailChanger
Processomail
Mailganizer
mailmolt
moltmail
moltamail

I like GTDinbox as it means something to all the growing number of GTD fans, but fully understand your concern

eMailDone is my choice

Good luck

and Thank you for the product

More on alternative names for GTDInbox:

Focusing on having a clear mind:
clearMind
freeMind (taken – mindmapping)
mindFree
CrystalClear
mindSweep

Focusing on having a wise mind:
mindWise
wiseMind
doWise

Focusing on completing tasks (including Gmail specifically) in a good way:
taskWise
doHarmony
taskHarmony
gHarmony
doMentum (as in momentum)
doMind
WiseAction
gWise
eWise
eSweep
gSweep
doSweep
CleanSweep

Have a great day!!!

Although I haven’t really had a chance to go over this thoroughly I surmise you would eventually desire to spread your wings to other email programs, like for example, I would love to have a breakdown in my Outlook Account. So I came
up with “FunctionJunction”, since many email web programs include more than just one source of email. However, I couldn’t quite come up with a catch word to go with it. But I should think legally you could say:

FunctionJunction-Gmail
Functionjunction-Hotmail
FunctionJunction-etc….

My site has yet to emerge from the ashes, Let’sLearn! Media, Let’sLearn! Web Design, Let’sLearn! The internet….This is a huge project and if anyone wants to help or join me catchup with me on Facebook, which I just joined. So there isn’lt much info available as of yet.

I would do something like:

DoneMail
or
MailDone

Stays close to the GTD heritage (that’s how i found it) and promises exactly what is does: you are done with your mail.

I don’t know if it was already said, but why not

ReMail

Short, provides the idea of a new way to use email, or the suggestion that you will no more forget to reply to an email.

I’m a new user and I love the plugin. A big reason for me to install it was GTD in the name.

If you possibly could negotiate this name with David Allen Co, go for it. I was also surprised by lack of references to the GTD literature and products. The thing is you don’t teach people how to use GTD – David Allen does. And people who learn about GTD from *him* (paying him appropriate dues) will be much more efficient users of the GTDinbox. So, I’m saying that you should better link users to the GTD literature and products.

flowbox

donIbox

I love zenbox that the first commenter suggested – it truly fits with what you’re doing.

eFLOW

TaskBox or TaskInBox sounds great to me. Of the initial list, TaskMail would do fine.

Anyway, “ActionBox” is also a nice one since it reminds of fun, as remarked by someone earlier.

I agree with Jim In Alaska above about the mail being too generic, but I also think that ‘In’ is the wrong idea too. We’re trying to get out! Not only that but we are trying to get actions done and out of the way rather than cataloging objects (mail).

Not too sure about the distinctive name problem. A good tag line will compensate for its uniqueness from its purpose.

I’m thinking of a mail sorter in a post office that sorts and flicks mail to where it needs to go… but haven’t finished that thought. What about a manufacturing process? Like a hopper? loads of raw resources put in, and then mangled and out comes a usable product? Not happy with that though.

I like Praxis and Axis.

Osmosis?
Actbox?
Diffuser? as in the light diffuser spreads (sorts) light for the purpose of making it easier on the eyes?
NullBox? the artificial device in Unix systems to send items or data to nothing (look up /dev/null)
ActNull (heh, sounds like a drug!)
NullAct
.box?
CnDBox (cease and desist) (don’t like this because it is stopping a flow instead of diverting)
DivertBox (clunky)
Whitehole (antithesis of a black hole? — I’m aware that is what a star is.)
Porpoise? (People have been suggesting Dolphin, but that is a popular file manager in KDE Window manager [back the original problem of GTD]. Also porpoise could almost be purpose.)

Chrystalis (I like that! — sorry brainstorming in situ.)

Google has Wave coming (cant wait argh!!) What about Ripple? As in small actions in a pond have huge effect?) Nothing to do with Firefly though. Ahh…

Actuator
PurgeBox
Purgatory
Hades,
Cache
CacheBox
Perculate/percolate
LeechBox (as in leaching the ‘bad’ stuff like doctors used to do to bleed people?)

reinbox
stirrupbox
Blinker
Lensbox,
Focusbox
Jitterbox (ah just for fun
Renderbox
Steerbox
Some pun on doorway …
Archway (substitute way with box)
flueBox (not the disease, the exhaust from a smelting process
smelterbox
pakerbox (eg. packer box
Hitchhiker (Guide to the Galaxy)
DeltaBox ( A river delta system? I could even go for Deltamail. It has that double meaning Delt a box/mail going for it too.)

Argh All the zen terms seem to be taken. OmBox? hah.

Numerator
Divisor
EquiBox
Lambada (Means whip in Portuguese? )
Covalent
Calibre

Ah I’d better go. Thanks for putting up with my suggestions.

I still like Chrystalis

Oh @ Lee on Oct 4:

It was Henry Ford, who upon being hounded by journalists for his obvious deficiencies in education said that (effectively). I think it was more:
I may not know where that is, but I know where to go to find out.

What our porpoise?! It makes me sound like a New Yorker

Ripple is very cool. I definitely like that imagery.

(I also had the same thought about the post office metaphor… but just could not make it work. Maybe someone can?).

Zenbox is lovely (and it’s very kind of you to say that!), but my principle concern is it’s similar to another email app, Zen Be. Definitely a contender.

It’s a very good thought about the appropriateness of GTD in email to GTD doers, but I do think it’s time to take the leap and establish our own strong identity.

However, it is being made very clear that we need to be careful to very clearly explain our GTD connection on the front page of the website!

LOVE your 3 points – you absolutely nailed it.

Paul – very good point on the task/action dichotomy, ‘task’ is clearly not a nice word

I love the imagery of ‘freeing’ your inbox as if it were a prison before; and is a haven for succeeding afterwards.

Also like the imagery of motion of action; rather than individual tasks. Gamelux and several others have hinted at the same things, and it really is a fantastic way of looking at it.

Ha ha, Taskification – I know it’s a joke but it sounds surprisingly good!

I prefer to think about what the process delivers and for me it delivers Certainty that I have processed every mail to the best I can and Clarity of what I need to do next

So I’d go for:

Clarity or Clarify and maybe tag them with the e branding to get eClarity or eClarify

Similarly eCertainty might work but doesn’t resonate so well with me and suffers from being too long.

eMailParole – Set your email free!

TaskMail works for me. I also like EmailAdvantage or TakingAction. Thinking about a way to take control of email EmailTrainer, TaskWrangler, ContextControl.

A few other ideas we’ve come up with in a ‘brain’storming sesh:

Baton
Virtuoso / Virtus
Timbre

I liked Ching (as in Te Tao Ching, or ” “) but Andy’s not so keen. Let’s have some support for ” “.

ClearMail implies translucence and empty for a clearly clarified inbox. in use by all those enlightened.

TaskMail is okay.
How about InboxActions or Donebox ?
Donebox – Get your email out of the Inbox and into the Donebox.

I like “Getting Email Done” or even shorter: “GDone”

ExpressMail

I like TinBox (short for Task Inbox)

Rok

Please, don´t use Kuleana, in spanish sounds like “culear” , what means to have sex in Argentina, in Venezuela is an erotic dance

zenBox

Why not ask David Allen if it is OK?
It is not as if you are making money from it.

Donebox. Turns tasks to your success.

Easy to remember and powerful (and sounds best for me).

New name should be checked against trade marks.

Go ahead!

TMS

1. TwistedMail – Get Twisted! TwistedMail is the next evolution of email, twist your into tasks
2. TweakMail – Get Tweaked! Tweak your email into action,make them tasks

Full name: Actionable Inbox
Short name: ActionBox (I’m seconding Jorge Costa’s suggestion above).

I guess you can tell by the number of possible names I submitted I am not particularly wedded to any one thing. I am sure that says something about something, but I will work on that.

Keep It Moving (Inbox)
Do It Now (Inbox)
Move It Along (Inbox)
Read, Act, Do
Dynamic Inbox
Well Trained Inbox
Programmed Inbox
Expeditious Inbox
Sensible Inbox
Intuitive Inbox

Where inbox is in parentheses its use is optional.

How about:

THEME = Total Holistic Email(based) Management Everywhere

(I work with the Holistic Management process, and have been very impressed with the neat way in which both GTD and HM approach the problem of managing very complex wholes.)

How fun this is!

I like tocomplete since that is what all of us are trying to get our actions to eventually.

Names?

In line with David’s “mind-like-water” theme- How about:

___ripple___

thinbox
neto
taskshooter
optimail
juicebox
mailshooter
asap (anti serendipity action preprocessor)
asap (as soon as practical)
sleepbox (it guarantees better dreams)
speedbox
dreambox
cleanbox
finbox (in spanish fin means “end” in inglish “fin” is for swimming right?)

others i liked from other posts:
donebox
actionbox
actionmail
focusmail
taskbox
taskmail
reinbox

I see that “ripple” was already suggested early on by Ben-

The image of ‘mind like water’ and responding to what comes in moment-by-moment
with no more and no less response than required, that’s a compelling image that fits
well with GTDInbox methods and goals- ripple evokes that for me at least.

How About these

gClean
EZclean
gFlow
EZinbox

Emailzing is amazing

Amazing: — causing great surprise or sudden wonder.

EMailzing – causing great surprise or sudden wonder in how easy gmailing can be

How about “Sail” ?

- Short, but rhymes with and looks like “mail”
- Implies that you have made a transformation away from simply “mail”
- Reminds people of what they should be doing (instead of mucking around in their inbox)
- Evokes a sense of “flying” through one’s email, transcending tasks, etc.
- It’s unlikely to be a _too_ noisy google search: people search for “sails”, “sailing”, but seldom simply “sail” etc.

If you felt it was too common a word, “eSail” would be another possibility

PABox (as in Personal Assistant).

What about a programming term, say, something like modulo?*
As read from the Python 2.3 Documentation:
“The % (modulo) operator yields the remainder from the division of the first argument by the second. The numeric arguments are first converted to a common type. ”

A stylised % would be cool. However it (Modulo) seems to be taken, but perhaps someone can make a play on that.

Modulo Mail seems to be something in the romance languages, and modulo box seems to be a generic name for chefs equipment.

Clarity Inbox
Inbox Clarity
Motion InBox (MIB)
In Motion In-Box

Inbox In-Motion (IBIM or IIM)

Sorry if this is already suggested, I haven’t time to read thru the comments but wanted to offer this.

GTDinbox is a Great name. I believe you hit it on the head from day one. If you really feel a change is need in line with tho applications goal, imho I would suggest considering juts adding the word ‘Pro’ as in ‘GTD Inbox Pro’ …. this tells the target market that is actually likely to use it, whom likely know (mostly) what GTD is and so it mean’s Getting Things Done in Inbox Professionally… GTD Inbox Pro…

It keeps your past branding and honors, imho, those involved with the project historically speaking.

My opinion guys, either way, it is one of the most productive and well supported apps on the internet barr none.

Thanks for asking by the way
Anthony Agius

Have you made any decisions on this yet? I’m brand new to GTD Inbox but can really see what a great tool it is. how about e-fish as a play on “efficiency” or even just “efficiency”

taskify or taskefi are pretty descriptive too.

Hi Marc,

We’re staying with GTDInbox for the time being.

Best,

Peyton

I like this site for more time i visit in this site!