Merlin Dean Mann III (born November 26, 1966) is an American writer, blogger, and podcaster. Early life and education Mann was born Merlin Dean Mann III on November 26, 1966, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mann received a B.A. from New College of Florida. Career Writing In September 2004, Mann founded and began the exclusive writing for 43 Folders, a blog about "finding the time and attention to do your best creative work." The blog was last updated October 2011. Mann coined and popularized the concept of "Inbox Zero", writing a series of articles in 2006 on 43 Folders, originally suggesting for an "Inbox DMZ". Inbox Zero became associated with the Getting Things Done productivity strategy, and is a popular topic on Lifehacker. In 2020 Mann stated he doesn't keep his inbox empty, and that the term has been misunderstood. Beginning in the mid-2000s, Mann wrote articles for Macworld, Make (the "Life Hacks" series, with Danny O'Brien, February 2005 to November 2006), and Popular Science (Ask a Geek series, 2005 to 2007). On August 18, 2009, Mann announced that he was writing a book, to be entitled Inbox Zero, about "how to reclaim your email, your attention, and your life." The book project has since been canceled. Mann also writes for his personal blog, Kung Fu Grippe. Podcasting As a companion to the 43 Folders blog, Mann launched the sporadically broadcast 43 Folders podcast in 2005. In 2007, Mann launched You Look Nice Today, an award-winning comedy podcast that bills itself as "A Journal of Emotional Hygiene", an effort he created with Adam Lisagor and Scott Simpson. The show's run ended in 2015, but a spiritual successor called California King was created in its wake in 2020 with the same team. Mann has also produced QPR: Quotidian Public Radio, an audio podcast launched in January 2009, which was billed as "audio comfort food for annoyed liberals in fleece". Mann was one of the hosts on the MacBreak video podcast, and a core host on the MacBreak Weekly audio podcast. Since 2008, he has scaled back his appearances on the series. Beginning on January 18, 2011, Mann has co-hosted the weekly Back to Work podcast with Dan Benjamin on 5by5, where they discuss subjects like productivity, work life, and true costs of doing business. In September 2011, Mann launched Roderick on the Line, a weekly conversation with musician/writer John Roderick. In May 2015,