The Definitive Guide to Inbox Zero

I have been using Inbox Zero as a productivity strategy for years. Not only is it effective, it just may be one the smartest methods I have found to cut the clutter AND get more done.

This post is the first in my Equilibrium Zero Series. Read my second post, Desktop Zero and Home base Zero, to clear the physical clutter off your desk and out of your home.

Photo Credit: Jeff Sanders

The Equilibrium Zero Series: For many productivity geeks (like myself) who love life hacks, strategies like Inbox Zero tend to be written about quite a bit. So, I hope you will find my application of Inbox Zero more beneficial as we take it three steps further and apply the same methodology to your desktop, home base, and projects.

Why Zero?

The concept of Inbox Zero is simple: process every email by the end of every day. Why Zero? Because it guarantees 100% effectiveness.

Think of it this way, if you wanted a surefire system that you could trust and believe in, you would likely expect the system to be leak proof. In other words, you would want your trusted system to address every issue, without forgetting even a single detail.

That is what Inbox Zero promises. No leaks. Nothing forgotten. Nothing overlooked.

Does it deliver? Yes. Zero means zero.

Big Numbers are Scary

I frequently run into people who have hundreds, even thousands of emails (if you can believe it) in their inbox! Why does this happen? Three reasons:

1. There is no system.
2. There is no strong reason to create a system.
3. There is no follow-though.

When your inbox peaks at over 100 emails, it’s really hard to care anymore. The number is too big. It’s intimidating to try to reply to hundreds of messages.

If you want to destroy your severely inflated inbox, you need an email overhaul. First, schedule a long weekend to process the backlog. Second, follow the steps below and maintain the system on a daily basis.

Inbox Zero

This is the Definitive Guide to Inbox Zero. Feel free to customize the rules and allow them to act as guidelines to progress you further on your journey to becoming a productivity zen master.

1. Delete every email you possibly can. This includes spam, junk mail, advertisements, messages that don’t warrant a response, and any other irrelevant message.
2. Unsubscribe to every newsletter you don’t actually read. Legitimate newsletters have “unsubscribe” options. Most spam emails do not. Make it your daily practice to unsubscribe every time. This will seriously reduce the number of emails you receive. The alternative to unsubscribing is to make a plan to read the newsletters, even if that happens somewhere outside of your email inbox.
3. Archive important messages that don’t require a response, but that you need to keep. This could include financial statements, receipts, contracts, information about a project that isn’t important for a few weeks, or other messages you just can’t bear to part with. Over the years I have had as many as 100 folders that organized and stored messages I assumed I would need. It has become abundantly clear that I don’t need 99.9% of the emails I keep. Be sparing on your archiving. You want to get in the habit of deleting everything.
4. Reply to the remaining messages. At this point there should only be a handful of emails left in your inbox. It’s likely these are conversations that require your response and it is imperative that you respond TODAY. After responding, delete or archive the email.

The Daily Zero

I have written (passionately) about my obsession with integrity and communication because in the past I have been ignored, left out of the loop, and dis-respected as I never received an email I was expecting.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned over my years of writing, emailing, and communicating online is that people will trust and respect you more if you listen to them. Shocking, right?

You can very easy build trust and rapport with everyone who emails you by making it your policy to respond to EVERY email, EVERY day, without exception.

I respond to every email that is sent to me. Some days are more daunting than others, but every day is manageable. I prioritize communication because it keeps the ball rolling on projects I care about and maintains relationships with people I care about.

Zero is Zero

To reiterate, Inbox Zero happens every day (even on the weekends).

Zero. E-V-E-R-Y. S-I-N-G-L-E. D-A-Y.

Where does the time come from? You have to create it. When you prioritize email communication, you clean up the mess and prevent it from ever getting out of hand in the first place.

With time, this process is a no-brainer. It becomes easier and easier to spot junk, delete spam, unsubscribe from content you don’t like, and reply to conversations you find engaging.

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