Managing your emails is the need of the hour in the corporate world. This need itself gives rise to the dream of inbox zero. Knowing how to manage your email with the inbox zero method is possible with proper knowledge of what inbox zero actually is. Using tips and the principles of email management can serve as a tool for productivity. The inbox zero approach can help improve efficient email management as well as better time management.
Tips to manage your email with the inbox zero method
The Inbox zero method was founded by Merlin Mann in 2007. Its importance in the world of email management has only increased since. Using the below given tips, you can also enjoy the benefits of efficient email management and know how to manage your email with the inbox zero method.
- Schedule it out
We are all but lost without a schedule. Achieving anything, be it something as big as a project or something as regular as email management, requires discipline and schedule. Without a schedule in place, one might end up utilizing too much time for tasks that can be done quickly. Schedules also allow us to prioritize our various tasks according to our convenience to manage your email with the inbox zero method.
When it comes to efficient email management, scheduling is important for a few key factors. Keeping a check on the number of times you check your email inbox is crucial for better time management. Email management softwares like Mailman can help you schedule when and when you do not want emails to disturb you. This type of scheduling helps in email management as well as in deep work. - Get organized
Emails are now our main means of communication in the corporate world. This often results in receiving too many emails while the important one gets lost in the mess. Looking for that one email eats up most of our time as our productivity levels too suffer as a result. Lack of organization can also be a cause for stress and anxiety as we lose track of the tasks that matter.
Organizing your emails is an important email management tip for inbox zero. Using built-in features of email softwares like Gmail can go a long way in efficient email management. Features like Folders, Labels, Filters and Star can help you manage your email with the inbox zero method. Setting appropriate filters that point to proper folders can really help organize your emails as you need and manage your email with the inbox zero method. - Get it done
Without an intent of getting things done as soon as possible, one tends to waste too much time. The lack of this intention further makes us delay our tasks for later, filling up our to-do list to the brim. Achieving inbox zero with lack of discipline to get things done is near impossible.
Using only a few of these certain tricks can be instrumental in efficient email management and to manage your email with the inbox zero method:
(a) If a message requires no action on your behalf, archive it immediately.
(b) If a message requires a simple reply that you do in a minute or less, do it right away—and then archive it immediately.
(c) If a message requires some level of thought or response that you can’t get to right away, snooze it to a time and date when you will be able to handle it. Thus the email could reappear exactly when you know you will have the time and energy to respond appropriately. - Do it only once
We write the same set of emails every single day. Though their main matter might be different, they tend to follow the same format. These emails include emails of introduction, emails of invitation or of a follow up. Such emails might be similar but end up taking loads of our time. This is where email templates come in.
Email templates make email writing a much easier and faster job. Taking out a few minutes to design templates for oneself can prove to be a great tip for time efficiency. This also helps you manage your email with the inbox zero method. - Let email management softwares help you
Handling too many emails can be a very time consuming ask. Email management can add up to the already existing tasks that we need to take care of everyday. Efficient email management is only possible if we use certain tips and email softwares. Managing your email with the inbox zero method becomes possible with email management apps.
Apps like Mailman can help you schedule your emails such that they do not cause a distraction to you. These softwares can go a long way in helping you manage your email with the inbox zero method.
Manage your email with the inbox zero method
Managing your emails is a considerably big task now. Trying to achieve inbox zero can be very easy when we employ the right methods and softwares. Proper scheduling and consistent efforts are the key to efficient email management. Using the inbox zero approach to its fullest is the sure-shot way to good email management.
1. Unsubscribe from newsletter and spam
2. Use folders and filters to organize emails.
3. Set a schedule to process emails.
4. Set a timer to control the amount of time you spend in the inbox.
5. Respond immediately to emails that can be answered in 2 minutes.
1. Set filters and inbox rules.
2. Use folders and labels to categorize emails.
3. Unsubscribe from spam.
4. Delete all spam emails.
Merlin Mann, a productivity expert, coined the term Inbox Zero in 2007.
You can delete unimportant emails like spam and newsletters without any hesitation. Archiving emails is another way of clearing your inbox without losing the emails forever.
