Superhuman, the $30 per month Gmail client, has slowly but surely changed my email habits for the better. The interface is clean and simple with a strong emphasis on a zero inbox workflow driven by hot keys that let me power though emails quickly and with confidence. It’s trained me to use my inbox as a todo list — handle what I can now and set reminders on the rest so I can deal with them at the appropriate time.
On the downside, there’s no Android client yet and I’m not dependent enough on the Superhuman workflow to justify switching to iPhone after using Android for the last ten years or so though I am getting curious. It’s not feature-rich by any means and it really doesn’t do anything Gmail can’t do. Except, of course, for the hotkeys and the strong opinions it brings to the table to drive a certain set of behaviors that clearly benefit people with busy inboxes and work lives.
Is it worth $360 per year? That depends. If your inbox is busy, I think it is a slam-dunk. If you are a busy executive with time always at a premium, I have zero doubt. Would it help a busy customer success or technical support rep handle a busy inbox? Very possibly. On the other hand, if you are a programmer or some other hands-on knowledge worker where email is secondary to your daily job, you are better off training yourself to check email only twice per day as part of your routine to get more benefit for less cost.
You can sign up for Superhuman email at Superhuman.com.
Tom Cabanski 