Nowadays, Emails have become an essential communication tool for us to connect with people. We also communicate important business deals, messages, and official letters. Sometimes we even spend hours managing emails and sorting out unwanted emails in our Inbox. Hence a podcaster called Merlin Mann introduced a concept called Inbox Zero to manage emails efficiently. Read this blog further to know about Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero method. Also some of the top quotes for Inbox Zero Merlin Mann are here for you.
What is Inbox Zero by Merlin Mann ?
Merlin Mann is an American writer, blogger, podcaster, and productivity expert. He is well known for his email management approach called ‘Inbox Zero.’ He is also the creator of a popular website called 43folders.com. Through this website, Merlin Mann inbox quotes helps his readers find their time and Attention to explore and work on their creative works.
Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero approach is an effective email management solution. Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero also aids us in keeping our Inboxes empty or almost free from unread and unwanted emails. Also, the term “zero” in the “Inbox Zero Method” doesn’t imply the total number of messages in the Inbox. It points out the less or zero amount of time we will spend on using and reading the messages in the Inbox. Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero Method attempts to make people stop stressing and spending a lot of time on emails.
Inbox Zero Merlin Mann’s Top Quotes
- “Make the time to be scared of more interesting things” ~ Merlin Mann
This was the theme inbox quotes that Merlin Mann stated on Inbox Zero. He has recorded in his blog, Kung Fu Grippe. This theme statement shows us the true essence of why Merlin Mann created Inbox Zero. Whenever we open the Inbox of our email, the highlighted subjects of many unread emails make us hesitate and dread about opening our emails to compose new messages.
And this particular quoted statement of Merlin Mann gives us the message that we should stop being scared of silly things in life like opening an email due to an overflowing inbox. Merlin Mann encourages us to be scared and make time for more adventurous and exciting things in life. In a way, Merlin Mann motivates us to use the Inbox Zero approach and declutter and manage emails effectively. - “Where you decide to put your time and Attention says a lot about who you are as a human being “~ Merlin Mann
In a Google Tech Talk on Inbox Zero, Merlin Mann quotes this statement to bring out the significance of setting priorities in life. When we learn to manage inboxes and our actions, we can easily map our life around essential things and spend less time on emails. If we don’t have a good relationship with our emails or good email management skills, our time will be ‘burgled’ from us. Time and Attention are the only natural resources that we have, and they are finite and irreplaceable.
By stating this inbox quotes, Merlin Mann implies, we can’t bring back the time and attention span we have wasted on checking emails of our Inbox. Some people are checking emails constantly that they are “practically living inside their inbox.” - “Anything that doesn’t have a place in your life and never will, get rid of it” ~ Merlin Mann
Merlin Mann records this inbox quotes in the same Google Tech Talk on Inbox Zero. Just checking piles of unread emails isn’t enough, and it’s not a good email management technique. Checking emails is not the same as processing emails. Here Merlin brings out the difference between ‘Checking’ and ‘Processing.’ According to Merlin Mann, ‘Processing emails’ is reviewing each piece of the email and at the same time mentally pre-deciding where and what to do about this email.
Merlin Mann suggests some steps to process emails and reach for Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero quickly are:
-Delegate- Forward emails to people who are more efficient in dealing with the subject.
-Flag – Save or star essential emails in a folder
-Delete or Archive – Delete or archive unwanted emails
-Respond quickly and right now.
-Defer – Postpone emails that you think needs more time to respond
-Do -Create a folder for to do-task emails - “Do Email less” ~ Merlin Man
Merlin Mann quoted this statement to bring out the significance of taking a break from our emails. This is another one of Merlin Mann’s Zero Inbox approaches. He asks us to take a break and stop checking email notifications for a while. We need to hence turn off all email applications to ‘email less’. In this ‘no email’ period, we can then let our Inbox accumulate emails.
Suppose we are not in a position to stop seeing email notifications. Then Merlin says that we can check email notifications on an hourly basis. We can schedule a time slot, for example, three times a day to check all the email notifications. You can also use some email management apps like Mailman, ProtonMail, etc., to manage emails effectively. Gradually, we will become better at email management and also increase productivity in our work. - “Before you get good, you need first to stop sucking” ~ Merlin Mann
Merlin Mann quoted this inbox quotes to ask everyone to start afresh in managing the Inbox. Suppose if we haven’t checked our emails for the past six months and now, we have decided not to procrastinate the email reading anymore. Instead of processing the accumulated piles of emails in one go, create a folder. Merlin Mann later asks us to name the folder ‘Inbox DMZ’. In this folder, move all the unread emails you have piled up for the past 6 months from the Inbox. Then, the first thing that you will notice is a clean Inbox.
From then on, take a resolution to respond to emails quickly and don’t pile them up again. Later, you can process the unread emails in the DMZ folder, one by one, every day. This step thus clearly illustrates the above quote – To start afresh, you need to stop sucking about the old things that you have accumulated in life.
Inbox zero Merlin Mann is your solution!
Inbox Zero is one of the most popularly sought-after approaches for managing emails of an overflowing Inbox. Hence Merlin Mann’s quotes on ‘Inbox Zero’ are very apt, and they clearly explain to us the importance of Inbox Zero approach for effective email management. These quotes thus instruct us to manage time and be productive. They also motivate us to set the right priorities and delete all the unwanted junk from our lives.
FAQs
Productivity guru Merlin Mann coined the term ‘Inbox zero’ in 2007.
1. Set up filters and labels to organize your emails.
2. Use folders to sort your emails.
3. Use flags and stars to differentiate among different emails.
4. Delete spam emails and spam folder everyday.
5. Unsubscribe from spams and newsletters.
The purpose of Inbox zero is to spend less or zero amount of time on using and reading the messages in the Inbox.
You can clear old, irrelevant emails from your email inbox to free up space.
