Achieve E-mail Sanity with "Inbox Zero"
Since this week has taken on an e-mail theme, I figured I’d add my own couple of pennies the subject.
Before I add anything new, though, I’d like to say I heartily agree with everything Megan has written on the topic. Check out her posts here and here if this is your first visit to the blog this week.
“Inbox Zero”
Productivity maverick Merlin Mann popularized the concept of inbox zero, in which the goal is to leave your e-mail inbox as uncluttered as possible—to the point where there is nothing in there. Zero. Zippo. Zilch.
The idea is not to delete e-mails willy-nilly. Nor does it require responding to every message the moment you receive it. E-mail enslaves people who feel compelled to reply right away. Worse, as Mann says, “If you’re just doing meta-work inside of e-mail, you’re not getting stuff done.”
The point of inbox zero is to force you to “process” e-mails by deciding on a course of action or, in some cases, a course of inaction. Processing means doing one of five things:
DeleteWhy is this important? Well, for many people, e-mail has ceased to be a tool. It has become a noise-maker that distracts them from getting things done, leaves them with a feeling of never-ending obligation, and prevents them from using more appropriate communication channels.
Delegate
Respond
Differ
Do
So what?
The concept of inbox zero is guided by the fact that time is finite. The question, then, is this: is e-mail taking up too much of your time? Is this “meta-work” distracting you from the real work that could bring you success in your field?
