How to Get to Mailbox Zero Today
Avoiding multiple electronic devices can provide a much needed reset. But sometimes a comeback can be even worse than no interruption at all. Specifically, I’m talking about your mailbox.
Because let’s face it, if you went back to your desk and found a neat mailbox that didn’t trigger any level of panic, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. You’re here because, whether you’ve noticed the congestion or not, your mailbox now looks like something out of the digital version of Hoarders: Buried Alive .
Fortunately, there is a way out of that packaged inbox and you can get it done before the end of the day. Jen Dziura shows the way to email education at GetBullish.com where the first step is … well, cheat.
The first step to achieving inbox zero is to put all of your old unread emails in a folder called “To be processed,” she said. Then you ignore them. What was in the past, in the past, and anyone who wants something from you, if necessary, will follow you. If you already feel guilty, stop it. This is a temporary white flag. You will do better next time.
Once your inbox is down to a reasonable few weeks (or less if you’re feeling daring) unread messages, delete the spam, unsubscribe from promotional email lists, and archive outdated messages from friends. Got tons of messages from your boss or colleague? Dzyura says to take a few notes on key topics and then ask for an appointment to speak with that person. Write down. “Then archive their emails and do everything in a notepad,” she writes.
Here’s the most important part: it’s time to complete all of the remaining tasks that your remaining mailbox requests require. “For most people, a full inbox is a very, very poorly organized to-do list full of bad feelings,” she notes. So you need to grab your simplified mailbox and put together a real to-do list .
Using an online document or spreadsheet, Dzyura suggests making a list of all the letters you need to respond to or act on, starting each with a verb:
Mark Smedkov is not a task. “Reply to Mark Smedkov” begins with a better verb, but not very specific. What do you need to do to answer? We’re looking for something like “Tell Mark Smedkoff no to his project” or “Email Mark Smedkoff about old taxes for 2016”, in which case you will probably need to add another task: “Find old taxes for 2016 year”.
Bring any information you need to complete a task into a spreadsheet or document, include a link to a specific email if you’re in Gmail or another webmail, then archive each email.
If you’re tempted to just complete tasks right there and then stick to the “touch once” philosophy, do not allow yourself to dive. “It’s perfectly okay to do a task, even if it might take longer than just answering because you’re emotionally drained,” she writes. If you’ve been responding to emails for so long, what’s another day?
Forcing yourself to make a to-do list reminds you that your inbox is not really a to-do list. This is where other people’s affairs are put into your personal messaging space. By making a real to-do list, you take back control of that space and give yourself the freedom to click delete (or archive, spam, or whatever) for everything else.