Awesometoast.com

For a few months now, I’ve been trying the Inbox Zero method. Basically, the idea is to keep your email inbox empty (zeroed out) so you’ll be less stressed when you check it because you’re not facing down 50-1000 unread messages. So far, it’s been working pretty well for me.

After a while, as with my implementation of the Pomodoro Technique, by the end I was using my own, trimmed version rather than the full-on set of methods and processes that Merlin Mann lays out.

Basically, every time I check my email, it gets emptied. Completely. This can be easier said than done if you think about it, so here’s the process:

• If an email can be dealt with in less than 5 minutes, I do it right then and there.
• Emails that need follow-up later on, say, after a long project is finished, I put them in a folder called “Follow Up”
• Emails that require me to take action at a later time, like in a week or month, I put the item and relevant information in my calendar and delete or archive the message.
• Once (maybe twice) I go through that Follow Up folder and see if anything needs attention and take care of it.
• I don’t actually delete every single email. The way I’ve gotten used to it, is that as long as the unread messages badge is gone, I’m good. I’ll keep things that might be important for future reference — I can search for it later if I need to.

I’ve found this method really great. It keeps me on top of things. Messages don’t get buried and lost. However, there is one caveat here that I think is pretty major: you must turn your email client off if you’re not using it. (Or close the browser tab.) The reason I say this, is that I became so obsessive about keeping that unread messages badge gone that the drive to check and answer or file every single email as soon as it came through became a problem. It eventually became a constant, nagging interruption to my other work.

So, I decided I would close my Mail app for 1-2 hour stretches while I got work done. Done. Problem solved. Besides, I realized that nothing in my mailbox was so urgent that it couldn’t wait — if it was, someone would call, text, or visit me about it.