内容来源：https://lifehacker.com/how-to-use-the-raft-technique-to-manage-emails?utm_medium=RSS

内容总结：

高效管理邮件只需四步：RAFT法则助你轻松应对信息洪流

面对每日涌入的收件箱，高效管理不仅需要决心，更需要一套清晰易行的系统。近日流行的“RAFT”邮件处理法则，以其简洁的步骤和明确的行动指引，成为提升办公效率的有效工具。

RAFT是四个英文单词的首字母缩写，分别代表：阅读（Read）、处理（Act）、归档（File）、删除（Trash）。该法则的核心在于，对每一封邮件立即进行专注评估并采取行动，避免遗漏。具体操作时，首先阅读邮件内容，随后根据需要进行处理，最后将邮件归档或删除，确保收件箱中的每封邮件都得到及时处置。

为充分发挥RAFT法则的效用，可将其与其他时间管理方法结合使用。例如，配合“后进先出”（LIFO）原则，优先处理最新收到的邮件，以应对最紧迫的事务；在处理（Act）环节，则可融入“4D”决策法，对邮件内容做出四项选择：立即执行、转交他人、延期处理或直接删除，从而确保每项任务都能快速推进。

此外，建立高效的归档系统至关重要。建议提前规划好分类逻辑（如按日期、项目分类），并保持一致性。对于使用Gmail等服务的用户，善用标签功能可以有效构建结构化归档，避免已处理邮件陷入“混乱黑洞”。

专家指出，像RAFT这类方法的关键在于养成即时处理的习惯，其核心理念与“两分钟法则”相通——对需要处理的事情立刻行动。通过将明确步骤转化为日常习惯，职场人士可以更从容地驾驭信息洪流，提升工作效率。

中文翻译：

管理收件箱需要专注、需要计划，还需要一些方法技巧。比如"RAFT"法则，它能让你在每日汹涌的邮件浪潮中稳稳航行。你还可以将其与"LIFO""4D"等方法结合使用以提升效率，但首先需要掌握这个基础方法的核心要义。

什么是RAFT邮件管理法？
RAFT代表四个步骤：
阅读（Read）
处理（Act）
归档（File）
删除（Trash）
很简单！运用这个管理系统时，你需要先花时间阅读邮件，然后根据实际情况进行处理（如有必要），最后选择归档或删除。虽然步骤简明，但这种方法能迫使你专注处理每封邮件并立即做出判断，从而避免遗漏重要信息。

与"单次处理""两次处理"原则类似，RAFT要求你在收到邮件时立即打开。对我而言，这是最困难的部分——因为这需要培养新习惯。这种方法让我联想到适用范围更广的"两分钟法则"：想到某件事或受到提醒时，立即着手处理。这同样需要习惯养成，但我发现它适用于各类效率管理场景。而RAFT法则的妙处在于：打开邮件后，你已拥有清晰明确的后续步骤指引。

如何充分发挥RAFT的效用？
要最大化其效益，建议结合其他管理方法使用。例如将RAFT与LIFO（后进先出）法结合，优先处理最新收到的邮件。这样你就能始终应对最紧急的需求，而非不断补救已延误的事务。若过往邮件确实重要，发件人自会跟进催促，届时再处理也不迟。请坚持优先处理最新紧要邮件，遵循阅读、处理、归档/删除的流程。

在执行"处理"环节时，可借助经典的"4D法则"：删除（Delete）、执行（Do）、委派（Delegate）、延期（Defer）。这对应着处理邮件的四种方式（虽然"删除"与RAFT的"删除"步骤重叠，但强化了"无用邮件应彻底清除"的理念）。要么亲自执行邮件要求，要么转交他人处理，务必保持流程高效推进。若不选择转交，就立即删除或暂存归档。RAFT的核心原则是：必须对每封邮件采取行动，绝不能置之不理。

关于RAFT中的归档环节，务必提前建立完善的归档体系。若使用Gmail，建议采用标签功能构建系统化归档方案，让已归档内容更易于检索。可按日期、项目或任何适合你检索逻辑的标准设置标签，关键是要保持分类标准的一致性，避免处理完的邮件陷入混乱的"电子混沌"状态。

英文来源：

To manage your inbox, you need dedication. You need a plan. You need acronyms. One such acronym is RAFT, which will literally keep you afloat in the sea of emails you receive every day. You can combine it with others, like LIFO and 4D to maximize its benefits, but first you need to know what to do with it on its own.
What is RAFT email management?
RAFT stands for the following:
Read
Act
File
Trash.
Easy! With this management system, you take the time to read an email first, then act on it however you need to—if you need to, that is—before either filing it away somewhere or deleting it. That’s basically all there is to it, but it works because it requires you to focus on each individual email and make an assessment right away, so you don’t miss anything.
The Download Newsletter
Like the one- and two-touch rules, this one does require you to open your emails as they come in. For me, that's the hardest part because it's a habit you need to build. This approach reminds me of a more broadly-applicable productivity technique I use often, which is the two-minute rule. When you think of something or are prompted to deal with it, handle it right away. Again, it's a habit that needs to be built up, but I like this approach for all kinds of productivity needs—and with RAFT, you have a clearly outlined series of next steps after you open it up.
How to get the most out of RAFT
To maximize the benefits, you should combine this with another system or two. For instance, combine RAFT with the LIFO—last in, first out—method, which calls for you to answer your most recent emails before older ones. If you do this, you’ll always be acting on the most urgent needs instead of playing endless catch-up with things that you let slip by. If something from the past is truly important, you’ll get a follow-up email and you can RAFT then. Otherwise, stick with your most pressing, recent messages and read them, act on them, and file or trash them after that.
When it comes to the acting part, you can call on the trusty 4D method to help you out. The four Ds are delete, do, delegate, or defer, and they refer to the four things you can do with any email. (Delete here is redundant, since “trash” is part of RAFT, but it’s good to reinforce the notion that useless emails should be nuked.) Either do what the email says or delegate it to someone who can, but keep the process moving swiftly. If you don’t end up forwarding it to someone else, delete it or defer (file) it. The main rule of RAFT is you have to do something with every message, not ignore it.
As for the filing component of RAFT, make sure you have a great file system in place in advance. If you use Gmail, consider using labels as a more organized archive system, to make whatever you choose to file away more easily accessible. You can label these mini-archives by date, by project, or by whatever makes sense for your retrieval, but be consistent about it so you’re not just banishing all your dealt-with messages to an email limbo.