Make your Inbox Zero

In every working day, you receive a number of emails, which makes controlling of mails a difficult task. There are times you drown in emails and not sure of how to empty your inbox. This is because you are unaware of how to manage your emails effectively. Remember! Your mail box is not a to-do-list or a place to store all your project-related items. Here are few ways to optimally zero your inbox and have a relaxed control over your emails.

As a first step, create the right email environment. With every email application, inbox, sent, trash, and drafts folders come default. Now, you have to create a new folder – Working, under which three sub-folders need to be created – Answer, Read, and Hold. Now, you might wonder what type of mail should be moved to these folders. Lets discuss it in detail.

Emails you receive might require no action and immediate action. Some mails may take longer to read/reply, where as few needs to be archived. If an email doesn't require any action, just delete it once you read. Mails requiring quick action should be done promptly, and delete them after processing. Here, you might have to create a new folder called 'File/archive' to save emails with information that you might need for future reference.

For mails that need a detailed response have to moved to Answer folder. In Read folder, you will have mails that take more than 2 minutes to read, say lengthier mails. There are instances that action for some mails can only be done with the response from a co-worker. Such mails can be archived in Hold folder. Make it as a practice to empty these folders regularly.

Coming to processing of emails, it is wise to do it in order, and never put a mail back into your inbox. Do not process a mail more than once, which can be eliminated by deleting as soon as you complete processing. Imagine, you have a bunch of emails left in your inbox, you obviously tend to check repeatedly, which is of course a waste of time. Likewise, jumping between mails should also be avoided, or else you would end up in a worse disorganization. When you open a mail, question yourself – What is this? The answer would determine your next action.

Don't treat your emails as an action reminder. Action for the received mails may involves single step or multiple steps, hence create an action list and a project list and delete the mail. But, you need to review these lists regularly.

Once you have arrived inbox zero, another challenge lies in maintaining it. But, it is not as hard as your imagine. Check your mails every hour, process all the newly received ones, pay attention in clearing out working folder, and finally have a track of your action list and project list. Follow these principles, and you would surely have a good email workspace.

There are other nuances involved in the inbox zero concept, which can only be learned through a comprehensive training. Now, you have the opportunities to be a part of workshops conducted by experts and excel in organizing all your emails.