Inbox 0

Key Insight

● Inbox 0 - A very simple methodology with which we use email so that nothing ever slips through. After we read an email and respond to it or do what is requested in that email, we archive it. If we’ve read it and there’s no need to respond, we also archive it. However, if we’ve read it and haven’t done what was required, we do not archive it until we finish what’s needed and only then archive it. When we respond to all emails and do everything that was required, our inbox will have 0 emails, hence the name “Inbox 0.” It’s very simple, but also very powerful. “I forgot” goes to history (where it belongs). ○ When we have an email we cannot respond to at the moment, but we may be able to in the future, we use the “snooze” function and temporarily hide it from the inbox. ○ In ideal conditions you’ll have a personal assistant who will run the first pass of all emails and filter them. Tim Ferris described this protocol in his book “4-hour Work Week.” ○ Remember: Inbox is a to-do list that others fill for you and you don’t need to check it constantly. Do Inbox 0 2-3 times daily and there shouldn’t be many problems. ○ How to start? It’s quite possible your inbox currently has thousands of emails and it isn’t realistic to go through them all. Initially archive all emails older than 2 weeks, and for the rest set aside a little time to go through the Inbox 0 process. You’ll miss something, but if it’s really important you’ll probably hear from them again.