How to Achieve Inbox Zero DAILY

Feb 16

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When I was in elementary school, I took etiquette classes from Etiquette with Amy, a dear family friend. One of the things I remember her teaching us was how to converse with others the same way you play catch. When someone passes you a ball (AKA, in conversation, asks you a question about yourself), you catch the ball by answering and then pass it back by posing them a question. The point was to cultivate relationship through mutual sharing—don’t hog or drop the ball!

What’s my point?

That’s the image my mind conjures when inside my email inbox.

When someone sends me an email, they’ve passed me the ball and, in doing so, often assigned me a task. To pass back the ball, I’ve got to complete the task and reply. When that’s done, I no longer have to hold or even think about the ball until they reply again, so my mind and hands are free to catch another ball and complete another task (or go home). And on and on, the to-do list gets finished.

However, as you know, email communication isn’t always as quick and simple. Sometimes I can’t immediately complete a task and repass; sometimes the task requires a few extra steps, like some research, a side conversation, time to think, etc., but to let the email fall from top of mind would be to hog the ball and clutter my mind. So you see the need for some practical strategy…

Today I’m sharing my system for achieving a peaceful inbox, even with tasks, projects, and conversations ongoing, and saving myself loads of time along the way!

Use Gmail

Use GMAIL—no other email provider is robust enough to keep you completely organized! The helpful features are endless, and it works seamlessly with Google Calendar, which is a must.

2. Create LABELS

Create LABELS for everything, and drop emails in your labeled folders after you’ve passed the proverbial ball.

If you’re a service provider, create labels for each project or client name, one for leads, one for receipts, etc.
If you’re a product business, create labels for each vendor, one for customer service, etc.
Also create an ‘archived’ folder for all past clients / vendors / projects, so you don’t have to scroll through a mile long list of irrelevant projects to find what you need right now.

PRO TIP—you can also create RULES in Gmail, which will (based on your chosen parameters) automatically apply labels to emails as they enter your inbox. Then, after completing your task and responding, click archive and POOF, it’s gone.

3. Use the Snooze feature

Use the SNOOZE feature. If passing back the email ball is going to require some extra space and time, click ‘snooze’ to make it reemerge the next day or even the next week. If it’s just sitting there, it’s clogging your head—get it out!

4. Use the Templates

Use the Templates (Canned Emails) feature (enable in settings if you don’t see this option). If you find yourself repeatedly sending the same messages to clients or vendors, save those responses so that next time, within just two clicks you can reply—little pockets of time add up!

So in summary, the only emails that are currently in my inbox (not archived or snoozed) are ones that DESERVE my brain space TODAY. When everything’s been put in its place, I can leave my office at the end of the day with a clear head—the goal!