I have been at my job for just over two months now and despite an absolute influx of emails daily, I am proud to announce I have reached Inbox Zero every day since I started.
I have found it especially refreshing to log on each morning to a new inbox – it really does feel like a ‘new day’ and allows me to get a grip on all the emails that have come through since home time the day before. I have found that they are easier to process and sort without there being a backlog from the day before. Also, as the weeks have gone on I have found it easier to do and I find it easier to make a decision on what stays and what goes.
I manage my tasks using the task list feature and I have become dependent on that rather than seeing all the things I have to do just sitting in my inbox, whether they are longterm or not. On my handwritten daily ‘to do’ list I always make sure that Inbox Zero is listed as an action. It really does work. I do have to keep a lot of emails so my folders are a continual work in progress to see what suits and what doesn’t, but for that little bit extra work that it takes, it is worth it. Even if it is just for the feeling of not being ruled by your inbox. I do have many email rules but in addition to this I do delete. So by having a working and fluid folder structure plus rules for nearly everything and also not being afraid of the delete key, equates to a serene Outlook experience.
I do not work in a role where I use Julie Morganstern’s suggestion of not checking emails for the first hour of work but I feel having to deal with only new mail every morning is almost a similar feeling. I know the powers that be at Gmail proclaim that with more and more space it is just no necessary to ever delete email again, but what they don’t address is the feeling of chaos that you see when you look at an inbox… or the stress that can develop by just seeing that many emails in one space. For me, clean inboxes = sanity. There is enough chaos in the world without me having to also stare at chaos for hours at a time. I know for many people they couldn’t care less about organized emails, but I am loving starting afresh every morning!
Click here to learn more about Inbox Zero.