Email Management has become a very common topic in today’s digital society. One term you might hear often is “Inbox Zero”. In 2006, Inbox Zero originally was thought to mean literally zero emails in your inbox. Over time, the perception has changed as it became apparent that it is not only impossible and counterproductive to have zero emails, but it also creates more stress to the management of your email.
The creator of the term Inbox Zero, Merlin Mann says “That “zero?” It’s not how many messages are in your inbox–it’s how much of your own brain is in that inbox. Especially when you don’t want it to be. That’s it.” Basically, Inbox Zero refers to having a good organization method for handling your inbox and reducing the stress of handling email overall. Read on to find a few quick tips on how to get started on your journey to reach Inbox Zero.
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- Review your email habits and determine WHY you aren’t efficient with your email management. Are you slow to act on emails? Have too many incoming emails? Email threads too long?
- Develop and use a management system utilizing your findings. Most likely this will be setting up Folders, Filters, and Importance Markers, etc.
- Schedule a few minutes at the beginning and end of each work day to review your inbox. This will allow you to catch up on any messages that you missed or that did not get Filtered or Labeled with your management system.