What Zero Inbox Means
I’ve been using Zero Inbox as the workflow for my email accounts for a long time. As the name suggests, the idea is to keep your email inbox empty and not use it as a to-do list, an archive or anything of the sort.
What Zero Inbox Does for Me
One benefit I find very practical is that I get through email much more productively. I can focus on the new messages coming in, without seeing old ones that have been rotting in the inbox for days, weeks or years, calling out “Hey, I’m still here too!” After a few teething problems at the start, I’ve managed to cut the time I spend purely on processing email from 2 to 3 hours to about 1 hour a day. On top of that, it gives me a clean separation between emails and tasks.
Looking back, though, something else matters much more: email doesn’t stress me out anymore. I know where to find things and what their status is. And several times a day, it feels good to move or delete the last email out of the inbox. That gives me momentum for whatever comes next.
My Zero Inbox Workflow
To get through my email as efficiently as possible, I’ve set myself three ground rules:
- Push notifications and automatic fetching are turned off on all my devices, so email only comes in when I open the mail program or app. The reason is simple: I want to decide when I read email and stay in control, instead of being distracted by pop-ups, sounds or vibrations. I check my email roughly every 2 to 4 hours, once I’ve finished something else.
- Folder structure: there isn’t one anymore. For years I’ve used just one folder: “Archive”. At the end of 2016, it held 12,627 emails. The search function finds everything I need, and faster than the folder structures I used to build.
- Apart from a few exceptions, I’ve unsubscribed from most newsletters. For blogs, I use RSS to hear about new posts.
When I check my email, I go through every new message and deal with it:
- Advertising and anything unimportant: deleted right away.
- Important information: I read it and move it to the archive folder.
- Emails I can handle or answer quickly: I deal with them on the spot.
- Emails that need more time or involve other tasks: I forward them to my task management (my to-do list) and move the email to the archive or delete it.
- Emails with tasks for other people, or things others can handle better: I forward them, then archive or delete them. I hardly ever use follow-ups. If I do, they go into my to-do list as a task. No markers, flags or anything else in the mail program.
Voilà, the inbox is empty. That usually takes me 5 to 15 minutes. No email stress, just the good feeling of having gotten something done efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the email inbox serve as a to-do list?
The approach described here advises against this. The inbox remains empty and is used neither as a to-do list nor as an archive. Tasks arising from emails are moved to a separate task management system, while the email itself goes to the archive or the trash. The advantage: a clear separation between messages and to-dos, without old emails lingering in the inbox for weeks.
Is switching to a consistently empty inbox worth the time?
In the case described, the time spent purely on email processing dropped from 2 to 3 hours to about one hour per day, after a few initial growing pains. Actually clearing out the inbox usually took 5 to 15 minutes per session. Added to this was the benefit of no longer feeling stressed about emails, because their status and location were always clear.
How often should you check your email to stay focused on your work?
The rhythm described here is roughly every 2 to 4 hours, each time after completing other tasks. Push notifications and automatic retrieval are turned off on all devices, so emails only arrive when the program or app is opened. The reason is to maintain control over when you check your email, rather than being interrupted by pop-ups, sounds, or vibrations.
Do you need a complex folder structure to find emails?
No. For years, the workflow described here managed with a single folder named “Archive,” which contained around 12,600 emails in 2016. Searches are conducted using the email program’s search function, and that was faster than clicking through the folder structures I had set up earlier. This completely eliminates the need to decide how to file an email: archive or delete.
What do you do with emails that take longer to process?
They don’t go back to the inbox; instead, they’re forwarded to the task management system. Afterward, the email is archived or deleted. Emails that contain tasks for others or are better handled by others follow the same pattern: forward them, then archive or delete them. Only messages that can be dealt with quickly are answered immediately.
Are flags and follow-ups in the email program useful?
The approach described here largely does without them. Follow-ups are rarely used, and markings and flags in the email program aren’t used at all. Anything that needs to be tracked is recorded as a task in the to-do list. This way, the status remains visible in one place instead of being spread across two systems.
How do you handle newsletters and blog notifications?
Most newsletters have been unsubscribed from; only a few exceptions remain. RSS is used instead of email for new blog posts. This means less content lands in the inbox that would otherwise just need to be read and then deleted. Advertising and unimportant items are deleted immediately upon review, while important information is archived after reading.
