What would it take to get you to Inbox Zero?
Riddle: When does a Tuesday feel more like a Monday? Hint: Your inbox is about to capsize…
Welcome back to the work week after Memorial Day weekend. Let me guess: You have more emails in your inbox than you can count, and your coffee isn’t even brewed yet.
You’re not alone, of course. And maybe this isn’t the best time to bring up the following – since chances are, your unread count is higher than normal – but have you ever considered reaching Inbox Zero?
Picture those words with a golden, angelic glow around them: Inbox. Zero. The state of your inbox when it’s been emptied of all emails. The to-do’s have been done, what’s finished has been filed, what you never needed in the first place – deleted.
It’s not impossible. With some will power and a few habit changes, you can get your inbox on track and attain the feeling of being… organized.
The concept was coined in 2007 by Merlin Mann, the creator of 43Folders. His basic idea is to go from checking email to processing email – to convert emails into action items.
For every email, according to Mann, there is some menu of actions you could and should choose from. His list goes like this:
- Delete (or Archive)
- Delegate
- Respond
- Defer
- Do
Check out the original talk for converting email habits in order to achieve Inbox Zero.
Do you live it? How has it worked for you? Share your tips in the comments!
