Gain full control of your emails and stay near inbox zero!

There are many guides to achieve inbox zero on the internet. Now that we have enough information about reaching inbox zero, there is one word of caution. As difficult it is to reach inbox zero, staying near inbox zero is yet another task. Knowing the gmail email management techniques to maintain inbox zero is the first step to managing your emails better.

5 tips to stay near inbox zero

Here are the 5 basic tips to help you maintain inbox zero after you have achieved it. 

1. Use the best email management software

Various gmail email management softwares for different purposes are now available. These form a prime foundation for your email management strategy. Tools like Mailman, EmailAnalytics, Gmelius, etc are highly recommended for better email management. 

Email management softwares functions independently as an app different from your email software. Amongst these Mailman is easily our top pick for gmail email management. It has all the qualities required for easy gmail email management. With features like Do Not Disturb, batch delivery, VIP lists, etc. make Mailman the best email management software.

2. Control the incoming emails to stay near inbox zero

We receive spam everyday. This may include newsletters and subscriptions- some of which might be actually important to you. These, though not work-related, do need your attention. But do you really read them? Or do they end up sitting in your inbox, too important to delete but not important enough to read? Some questions you need to answer before deciding the fate of your subscriptions to stay near inbox zero.

• How often do you open them?
• If you do open them, how often do you actually read them?
• If you do read them, how often do you then use them? (whether this means printing it out, sending it to a friend, referencing it in your work, saving it and reading it again later)

These questions can help you decide whether you really need a particular subscription or you can do away with it. Email management tips like these can help you purge your emails while staying near inbox zero.

3. Don’t over organize

Organizing one’s inbox into manageable folders is the easiest way to achieve gmail inbox zero. But there is such a thing as too much organization. Hence you must follow a step by step process to make sure that you do not over-organize and stay near inbox zero. An example of a simple sorting system is noted here: 

• Choosing the right categories
  Depending on the necessary response for an email, the folders could be ‘Respond later’, ‘In process’, ‘Respond immediately’. 
  
• Choosing the course of action
  First, figure out for each email if you have to respond immediately, if you need to respond later, or if you don’t need to respond at all. Then, decide your plan of action. If you need to respond soon, put it in a folder labeled “Need to respond to” to maintain it near inbox zero.
  
  If you need to wait longer, send a short response letting the sender know you saw the message and will get back to him or her in X days. Then, file it in another folder labeled “In process.”
  
• Keep up
  Make your email management easier by naming your folder with specific and clear names. Thus this makes them easily recognizable to sort your emails.

4. Respond now or never

With so many emails needing our attention, it can be difficult to prioritize one’s response. But does this mean you must reply to all emails you receive to stay near inbox zero? No! By responding, we mean you need to not leave an email unattended. These responses could be:

• Reply to the email if it will take you less than a minute, or requires no other action.
• If it needs a quick action in order to reply to it, do it right away or star the email to pay attention to it at the earliest.
• If the email will require a longer task to reply to, star it or move it to a ‘respond to later’ folder.

These responses make sure that no email is left untouched or unattended. Thus you are always up to date and stay near inbox zero, without compromising on your productivity.

5. Get on a schedule

The time you put into your making and maintaining a schedule is what affects an email management strategy the most. You must have pre-decided time periods cut out of your day to check into your inboxes. It is necessary to avoid checking your emails outside of these time windows to be near inbox zero.

The email management software called Mailman, makes its need felt here. It has a unique feature called Do Not Disturb which lets you set a particular time period when you do not wish to receive any email. Thus Mailman makes sure that your inbox does not disturb you as your productivity increases. Thus Mailman helps you on your way to reach Merlin Mann Inbox zero and also stay near inbox zero.

Stay near inbox zero!

Maintaining to stay near inbox zero is a task just as big as achieving it. The same persistence that helped you achieve inbox zero is what will help you maintain it. Use the above tips along with the best email management software Mailman and stay in inbox zero for ever!

FAQs