How I achieve ZERO inbox

If you have returned from holidays and suffered an inbox explosion that takes unread emails into the hundreds, here are my top tips for achieving ZERO inbox now and into the future.

How do you use your inbox?

Like many professionals, I use a combination of my email inbox and reminders window as a proxy "to do list". By moving redundant emails out of my inbox and into relevant folders I know when my workload is piling up as colleagues reach out with information requests or other items that require my attention.

Along with important emails you probably find the usual inbox cloggers like back and forth email banter, reply all "thank you" emails, spam, marketing and newsletters that you have signed up to over the year.

In the months leading up to the Christmas break I was determined to complete all outstanding tasks as far as possible, leaving minimal emails in my inbox. In fact, so I could focus on my Downward Dog and Shavasana yoga poses in Goa, rather than worrying about unattended emails, I had a goal of achieving ZERO inbox.

This is a goal I'm pleases to say I was able to achieve - zero inbox and zero reminders! That rarely seen phrase "We didn't find anything to show here" was all my inbox had to show for itself...... and it was beautiful.

Here are my top tips for reaching zero inbox...

1. Delete the oldest replies in group or chain emails

For this, I read all group emails starting with the newest email first. If I can get an understanding of what the issue is from reading the newest email I will usually bulk delete or file the preceding emails.

You will find that many times you have been copied as an FYI or the problem has been solved without your input - move on!

2. Don't reply all with "Thanks" and let people know that they don't need to send these emails to you either.

When you first reply to an email letting people know they do not need to reply all with "Thanks" it can come across as harsh and a bit aggressive in the first instance.

BUT, I think everyone gets the message and can appreciate where this is coming from. If you need to say "Thanks" just reply to the person directly and do your part to reduce the clutter in other peoples inboxes.

3. Instead of just deleting emails, unsubscribe....now!

We are all guilty of that rush of enthusiasm when we come across the latest blog or newsletter and want it delivered the minute its ready. But when you are constantly deleting or archiving the latest Tim Ferris, Harvard Business Review or Top Shop newsletter, its time to unsubscribe.

Declutter your inbox by setting a calendar reminder to revisit the blog in the future or create a secondary homepage tab linked to your favorite blog and catch up on the latest posts when you can.

4. Delete emails which are interesting but not important and create a calendar reminder to revisit the topic in the future.

This goes for emails you have sent yourself as a reminder, that have been sent to you requesting a catch up or other emails that can be deferred to the future with a quick reply.

If the email is something you want to revisit at some future date, such as a whitepaper or other topic of interest, copy the email into a calendar reminder for a time in the future.

But be careful, you don't want to substitute inbox clutter with reminder clutter. If you find yourself rescheduling a topic of interest 3 times without reading it cant be that important so just dismiss it and move on.

If the email relates to scheduling a meeting, give the emailer a time frame for when to try again. Such as, "I don't have a need for this right now but feel free to check back in 3 months time".

If however you don't have any intention of meeting in the future, be upfront, they will appreciate the honesty and it you will free up future time for both of you.

5. This leaves high priority emails - deal with them!

When you have deleted redundant chain emails and thank you replies, unsubscribed from marketing materials and deferred non important emails, you should be left with the important and urgent emails. This is where the rubber hits the road and your work begins.

Instead of procrastinating, hit these emails head on and complete any work that is required. Put the ball back in their court and if your part of the task is complete, file this email in its proper folder and wait for the replies to come in.

If you enjoyed these time saving tips, leave a comment, let me know how you manage your inbox and check out Innovate Yourself for more hacks to improve your work-life.