How to Get To (And Stay At) Inbox Zero: What Does an Empty Inbox Look Like?
I recently received an ecstatic email from a client, Steve Leininger (Capital Performance Advisor at Thomas, Wirig, Doll & co.) who sent me this screenshot during his Total, Relaxed Organization training. Steve started out with 3,605 emails, he followed the TRO steps, and he reached the elusive landmark of email organization: inbox zero.
“I never thought in my lifetime the inbox would be empty,” he wrote in his email. “This is the second time.”
There’s a sense of relief you get from an empty inbox that can’t be replaced. If you have to wade through tasks to email a reply, you are going to feel stressed—all those uncompleted actions will cry out for attention. This also makes processing stressful, which is why so many people struggle to clear their inboxes.
Solution
Earlier, we gave you the steps on how to get to inbox zero, here. But once you get there, how do you keep it that way?
The solution to this dilemma is “triaging”—quickly reviewing all email, deleting unnecessary correspondence, and inserting tasks into your task management system. Triaging is shortcut “processing”—helping you to respond quickly without bogging you down.
While triaging works for any task collecting point, it is particularly fast for email when done right.
To separate tasks from communication, follow these steps:
• Toss the junk.
• Reply or disengage if the reply will take under 2 minutes.
• Enter the task into your task list if the email is actionable, including replies that take more than 2 minutes. (NOTE: This requires that you have a reliable time management system with a no-stress task list.)
• Move the email into the appropriate folder.
And if an email takes more than 10 minutes to answer, you could simply pick up the phone and call the person instead. It might save you some serious time.
See here for great tips on converting emails to tasks in Outlook.
The Pay-Off is Worth It
Triage your email so that it’s empty at least once a day. It might sound unrealistic, but with your new organization skills, it will be easily doable.
