There’s only one way to go through life: in hot and constant pursuit of In-box Zero.
Before you slam the computer shut and curse my name, consider this. How can anyone be expected to keep up with correspondence, tasks, and paperwork when every time you open Gmail, you’re confronted with 52,423 reminders of what you haven’t done? The psychological impact alone is paralyzing.
It certainly felt that way for me. Every day for the past 20 years, more than 200 e-mails have hit my work account. Each morning was a fresh hell because, here’s the thing—if you don’t respond, there’s always a follow-up. And another follow-up. Until it’s impossible to differentiate the important from the irrelevant. It all becomes a giant box of dread.
Two years ago, I got some help, enrolling in an all-day course for managing workflow. The method, called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, was developed by the author David Allen. His book by the same name has been selling briskly since it was first published, in 2001. The course was the best $700 I’ve spent in the past 10 years—it’s helped me with everything from planning vacations to setting career goals—but the approach to correspondence has been the most transformational.
Imagine a future in which fewer than 10 messages require your attention. It’s not only possible, but it can be yours within just a matter of hours. (Truly.)
So, without cribbing too directly from Allen—he’s much more methodical and organized than I am!—here’s my low-lift way of achieving a zero-stress inbox.
Step One:
Archive—don’t delete—any e-mails received more than six weeks ago.
Your inbox should be used only for items that require your immediate attention. Everything else should be dealt with and removed. Who cares if Gap had an end-of-summer sale in 2022 or one of your colleagues shared feedback about a presentation you gave in November? If the matter required an urgent response, the sender would have followed up within the past six weeks. If it didn’t, it wasn’t that important to begin with. Cut your losses, accept the fact that some middling matters fell through the cracks, and move on.
Here’s where the Archive button comes in handy—it moves those items out of sight, but they’re still easily accessed in search, so nothing is lost.
Step Two:
Process whatever’s left.
Set aside 30 minutes a day to delete, respond, delegate, or archive until you are dealing only with e-mails received within the past three days.
It’s an unfortunate reality, but given the pace of These Times, most senders expect a response within 24 hours. Not every matter can be resolved immediately, and that’s O.K. That’s why I keep a sticky note on my desktop home page full of my most common e-mail responses, which apply to at least 80 percent of the ones I receive. All day long, I cut and paste and personalize them. For example:
Dear [NAME],
It’s great to hear from you. Thanks so much for [SPECIFIC INFORMATION]. I’ll review it with my colleagues and revert back by [SPECIFIC DATE.] In the meantime, wishing you a lovely week.
All best,
[YOUR NAME]
Step Three:
Everyone appreciates a quick no.
We often avoid responding because we hate to give bad news. But wouldn’t you prefer a quick no to feeling ghosted? It’s O.K. to have a life! Politely decline that Cirque du Soleil invitation as quickly as possible. There’s no need to go into too much detail, unless you’re dealing with a family member or boss. Here’s one for your sticky:
Dear [NAME],
Thank you so much for this very kind invitation. I wish I could join you, but I’m afraid that I just can’t make it. Wishing you a wonderful time, and I look forward to seeing you again in the near future.
All best,
[YOUR NAME]
Step Four:
Set boundaries.
It’s tempting to correspond at all hours of the day and night, especially when you’re in hot pursuit of Inbox Zero. In some instances, a quick yes or no at 10 p.m. is painless enough.
But very few people aren’t aggravated if they wake up or go to bed burdened with unfortunate news or a flurry of requests that aren’t time-sensitive. Same goes for the weekends. O.K., sure—technically, if it’s after hours, employees are not obligated to respond, but many feel compelled to do so anyway.
And let’s be real: Are you sending that e-mail because it’s really urgent or because you just don’t want to forget it? Here’s where the “scheduled send” function is your friend. Limiting the digital onslaught to office hours—and we don’t mean eight a.m. on the dot on Monday morning—is a small courtesy that goes a very long way. It’s a great means of managing your internal P.R., and it will improve your quality of life, too. Promise.
Step Five:
Embrace the weekly review.
Schedule a recurring 15-minute weekly meeting on your digital calendar to review your inbox and resolve any outstanding issues. I do this on Fridays and waltz into the weekend feeling liberated and effective! Is there anything better?
Ashley Baker is the Executive Editor at Air Mail Look