3 Easy Steps To Get To Inbox Zero (And How You Can Do It Today)
If you're like the vast majority of people, email is near the bottom on the list of things you like to spend your time on. And yet, it's something we all have to do.
Personally, I've never been one to have hundreds or thousands of emails in my inbox, but I typically kept it to around 20-30 emails at all times. But even that many (or few, depending on how many you keep) was still a drain to see every time I opened my inbox. Until recently, when I finally decided that instead of 20 being my magic inbox number, it should be 0. And what huge difference it has made for me.
Two rules to get and stay at inbox zero
Regardless of how many emails you currently keep at your inbox, two small changes can get you to stay at inbox zero (if you're willing to put in the initial effort).
Only open it once
Deal with it or move it once opened
If you're like me, you would sometimes open the same email 10-15 times before you finally decide to deal with it. Talk about a waste of time. Now, however, the benefits of keeping my inbox at zero have provided all the motivation I need to stick to it.
In other words, don't open that email until you're ready to deal with it. If it is something simple (think two minutes or less) deal with it when you are working through your emails. If not, move it to a folder and use a task manager (I use Todoist) to remind you it needs your attention later. Once you have made it a task, make sure you schedule when you will address it by.
Why you should commit to inbox zero
I have been doing this for over 3 years and will never want to go back. So before I tell you how to get there, let me tell you why it is so helpful.
1. Decisions drain your energy
Every decision you make, no matter how small, takes energy and brainpower. Every-time you look at an inbox full of emails, you are staring at multiple decisions that need to be made. Why just make the decision once (by dealing with it the first time you see it), rather than spending days looking at it?
Your energy can and should be spent in much better places than your inbox. I've felt the difference since I got to inbox zero.
2. Your stress level will reduce
As one of my favorite leaders, Carey Neiuwhof put it, "The problem with using your inbox as a task list is that multiple random emails at 100 words each makes for a terribly confusing task list."
Your inbox is a much too wordy and disorganized task manager. So when we attempt to use it as one, it can lead us to feel overwhelmed.
3. You'll stop putting off tasks you don't need to put off
The reason your room, closet, or garage is a mess is because you can't decide what to do with your things. Same for your inbox.
But if you learn to make quick decisions, you'll stay more organized and avoid letting everything pile up since it is already a mess anyway.
The reality is, many of our inboxes are filled with small requests that we are putting off, and then in no time it seems overwhelming to deal with any of them (which leads us to checking them so many times before actually doing anything about it). Plus, it'll train you to only check your email when you have the time to deal with your inbox.
3 Simple steps to get to inbox zero
Now that you know some of the benefits, here is how you can get and stay there.
1. Unsubscribe from all emails the first time you receive them
Part of what leads to an over-sized inbox is all the things we had to give our email to for any of the various things we signed up for. So the next time you get a subscription-based email, unless it is something you actually read or want, unsubscribe right away.
It takes no more than 20 seconds. And in the future, use a separate email that isn't your primary email for anything online that asks for an email. Don't waste your time and energy dealing with it in your main inbox.
2. Deal with all your current unread or inboxed emails, or delete them
Depending on how many emails currently sitting in your inbox, this could take you an hour or more. Put it on your calendar and do it anyway.
Chances are if it has been sitting in your inbox for longer than a week you weren't planning on dealing with it anyway (at least not in the manner you probably should have). So deal with it then or delete it. You've got to actually get to inbox zero before you stay there.
Afraid you might miss something critical? Simply send an email like the one below to all the critical people in your contact list (thanks again to Carey Nieuwhof for this):
Subject: Got a pressing issue I haven’t dealt with? Can you re-send your email?
Hi Friends,
I’ve decided to get to inbox zero and start organizing my workflow in a new way.
To that end, today I’m going to delete every email that’s over 30 days old.
I apologize for not getting back to you on the relevant matter. If it’s still a current issue for you, do you mind resending me the email?
I promise I’ll be responding much faster in the future.
Thanks! I appreciate you!
That's it. You can now archive any emails you might need to reference in the future, and get your inbox to zero.
3. Check your email less
One thing I have found super helpful is turning off the email notification on my phone (in fact, I would recommend turning off all notifications on your phone). When you see that you have an unread email on my email app, it's really hard not to open it. So turn it off and only check email when you want to check it.
Or even better, take your email off your phone completely (it's what I do and couldn't recommend it enough).
When you check your email less, you'll not only spend less time on email, but you'll also have fewer emails to deal with as you'll be sending fewer emails yourself throughout the day.
So there you have it. I promise you, get to inbox zero. You won't regret it and you'll have more time for things that are actually important.