Email Zen: Clear Out Your Inbox

I use Gmail exclusively for email, and it constitutes a major part of my two day jobs. I get a fair amount of email each hour, and I am pretty quick at responding.

However, one thing you’ll notice about my Gmail inbox is that it is just about always empty.

It gives me a Zen feeling to have a clean inbox, a feeling of peace and calm and satisfaction. I highly recommend it to everyone. I wasn’t always like this — I had many emails in my inbox in the past. They would sit in there, sometimes unread, sometimes just waiting on an action, sometimes waiting to be filed, and others just waiting because I was procrastinating. I also had many folders for filing my email, so I could find them when I needed them. It would take me awhile to file sometimes, so I would put it off. Many people I know are the same way.

But GTD changed that (as well as 43 Folders and others), and for nearly a year now, I’ve been fairly consistent about having a clean inbox.

Here are my simple steps to achieving Email Zen:

1) Don’t check email first thing in the morning, or have it constantly on. This is a tip offered by many blogs, so nothing new here. Checking email first thing will get you stuck in email for awhile. Instead, do your most important thing for the day, or the thing you’ve been procrastinating on the most. Then check email. Better yet, do 2 or 3 things first. Also, if you are constantly checking email throughout the day, or it notifies you as soon as an email comes in, you will be constantly distracted and not able to focus on the task before you. I check once an hour, but you might have different needs.

2) When you check your email, dispose of each one, one at a time, right away. Make a decision on what needs to be done on each email.

2a) Is it junk or some forwarded email? Trash it immediately.

2b) Is it a long email that you just need to read for information? File it in a Read folder (or tag it Read and archive) or print it to read on the road (while waiting in line, for example).

2c) If the email requires action, make a note of the action on your to-do or GTD lists to do later. Also note to check the email for info if necessary. Then archive the email. You can easily find it later when you need to do that task.

2d) If you can respond to it in a minute or two, do so immediately. Don’t put it off. If you wait, you’ll end up with a backlog of emails to respond to, and you may never get around to it. I respond quickly, with a short note, and send it right away. That way I’m viewed as responsive and on top of things.

2e) If you need to follow up on the email later, or are waiting for a response, note it on a Waiting For list. Don’t just leave it in your inbox as a reminder.

3) I have only one folder: Archive. When I respond to an email, or finish reading it if it doesn’t need response, or note it on my to-do list, I archive it. Simple as that. You could add a Read folder if you want. I usually print longer ones to read later, like during lunch or while waiting for something. Other people have an Action folder or a Waiting For folder, but I find that that’s just an additional inbox (or “bucket” as GTD’s David Allen calls it) that you have to constantly check. I don’t like to check extra folders. I have my to-do lists and my Waiting For list, and that’s good enough. So it’s as simple as pressing “Archive” on an email, and if I need to find it later, Gmail’s search is so good that it’s easy to find. I’ve never had any problems with this system.

Email Zen is that easy: check email at regular periods, take action on each email right away (or note it on a list to do later) and archive.

Ahhh. Empty inbox!

Email Zen: Clear Out Your Inbox

I use Gmail exclusively for email, and it constitutes a major part of my two day jobs. I get a fair amount of email each hour, and I am pretty quick at responding.

However, one thing you’ll notice about my Gmail inbox is that it is just about always empty.

But GTD changed that (as well as 43 Folders and others), and for nearly a year now, I’ve been fairly consistent about having a clean inbox.

Here are my simple steps to achieving Email Zen:

2) When you check your email, dispose of each one, one at a time, right away. Make a decision on what needs to be done on each email.

2a) Is it junk or some forwarded email? Trash it immediately.

2b) Is it a long email that you just need to read for information? File it in a Read folder (or tag it Read and archive) or print it to read on the road (while waiting in line, for example).

2e) If you need to follow up on the email later, or are waiting for a response, note it on a Waiting For list. Don’t just leave it in your inbox as a reminder.

Email Zen is that easy: check email at regular periods, take action on each email right away (or note it on a list to do later) and archive.

Ahhh. Empty inbox!

Comments (29)

Leena Says:

January 24th, 2007, 21:29 pm

OK, I admit, I need to try this out. My inbox is crammed full of messages (1442 at last check) and this is a continual problem.

You should post more about GTD … I’ve heard about it, but I’d like to hear about your implementation.

Leo Says:

January 24th, 2007, 21:42 pm

The initial clearing of a full inbox like that can take a little while, but I would recommend Merlin Mann’s suggestion (from 43folders.com) of taking all the messages in your inbox and putting them in a temporary “Email DMZ” folder for dealing with later, you can then start afresh with a clean inbox, and work on getting the DMZ folder clear over time.

A clean inbox is a sight to behold.

If you try to stick with this habit for a few days, it will become much easier and you can do it for life. It has changed my life.

John Wright Says:

April 16th, 2007, 22:48 pm

There is now no need to keep a clean inbox. Gasp! I make the argument based on iGTD, MailTag links, and modern operating systems here:

http://www.wrightconsulting.biz/?p=191

Leo Says:

April 16th, 2007, 23:10 pm

Hi John … thanks for the comment. You bring up some interesting points, but I disagree on a couple of them. Here’s why:

1) You said that your email isn’t your inbox, but your iGTD inbox is your real inbox. However, in reality, they both are. You are getting incoming information and tasks through email, which makes it an inbox. You process through it, sending any tasks to your iGTD inbox … where you have to process it a second time. I would recommend just processing the tasks once — instead of sending them to your iGTD inbox, simply add them to the appropriate context list immediately.

2) I agree with you about the paradigm of filing being outdated … but I don’t file. I simply hit “archive” in my Gmail and forget about it. And my inbox is nice and clean. That’s because before I hit archive, I add the task to my context list. And through Gmail, the emails are easily searchable, so I don’t have to worry about finding it later.

3) What I do agree with is your assertion that emails and tasks should be linkable. I think every email/task program should have this feature.

You bring up some good point and examine some ideas that are taken for granted. However, as I mentioned, I think you are processing things twice, which is unnecessary. But if it works for you, great!

John Wright Says:

April 16th, 2007, 23:20 pm

Thanks for responding to this this newbie GTDer Leo. To clarify, Leo, I am agreeing with you that you should use add your email to a context right away if you can. In fact, I can send an email directly to a specific context via MailTags integration instead of sending it to the iGTD inbox context where you are right it kind of has to be processed again. But this is no big deal, the shortcut key makes it so easy to get all your actionable emails out of Mac mail and into iGTD that it works wells for me and then I can quickly drag them into the right contexts.

I also don’t have the Gmail archive tool. I think I am going to convince our office to start using Gmail. :)

Leo Says:

April 16th, 2007, 23:29 pm

John, another point to make is that when you process your email inbox, and then send it to your iGTD inbox, you are putting off the decision on that task. I find that it’s better just to make the decision right away, so it doesn’t pile up as something you need to do later. Hope this has been helpful!

Leo Says:

April 16th, 2007, 23:35 pm

Hi John … I think we both responded at the same time … my last comment was directed at your first comment, not your second one.

Anyway, if you agree that the email should be processed right away instead of being moved to another inbox, then we are in agreement. We just have different ways of doing the same thing. I like to archive all my old emails so that my inbox is nice and empty, but you leave them in there as “read” emails — as long as you’re not constantly going through your old emails to find what needs to be done, your system is good. There’s no actual need to clear out your inbox after your emails are all processed, but for me, it brings a peace of mind.

John Wright Says:

April 16th, 2007, 23:42 pm

Yeah, if Mac mail had a quick archive button like Gmail that I could trust to be searchable I would do that. I just leave them in and focus on having no numbers next to my inbox folder rather than a clean inbox for now. I definitely agree that the actionable emails should be processed right away into actionable items GTD contexts and with MailTags/iGTD there are a couple of ways that can be accomplished that have different effects in preserving the links and what keystrokes you use.

konika Says:

April 23rd, 2007, 12:24 pm

well have read this part of blog way back and tried to hold things as written.Its really interesting to read and move the necessary one to required folder and rest to clean out from the mail box.
and can say….Ahhh. empty inbox!!

Leo Says:

April 23rd, 2007, 16:19 pm

Hi konika … I’m so glad you’ve found the happiness of an empty inbox! Congratulations!

Kim Roach Says:

May 1st, 2007, 8:27 am

Thanks for the great tips, I’m going to start implementing these today :)

Dennis Bjørn Petersen Says:

July 19th, 2007, 4:45 am

Phew…I’ve done it. My Inbox is empty, well at work at least.

We use Lotus Notes and for some reason Lotus Notes 6.0.3 is really for being productive ;) I ended up with 35 folders containing various emails, but all are related to a project I’m a part of and one folder is for my private mails. I did create a Archive folder for misc. mails.

My organization uses the “cover my a**” tactic a lot, so I need to have all emails nearby in order to protect myself and my colleagues. (sad but true, it is very political). Personally I can’t stand it and I very rarely uses the CC or BCC.

I made another promise to myself. I will use the Copy Mail to Task function more often. That way I can keep track of all my current tasks. They are even synced to my mobile.

Summer time is really a great time to “update” your “work life”. It’s quieter, no bosses are around - I’m more productive ;)

Charlie Says:

September 3rd, 2007, 12:25 pm

I’ve been taught to answer email at a certain time. Say you allot 2 x two hour email sessions each day one shortly after you begin work and one just before or after lunch. That way you do not create the expectation in others that you are always waiting for their email to answer it immediately. You can’t do that! Eventually people will know that yes, you will get to their email in good time. Rather than having people email or follow up with a phone call shortly after they email you. If it really is urgent - they will know to call you.

Then in the afternoon you can set aside time for planning your next day.

The rest of the time is your actual work function time and time for those unplanned interruptions - which probably constitute 50% of your day!

I agree - clearing your inbox is a MAJOR step to sorting out your priorities. I now have an empty inbox at work. Now and then it might grow to one or two which I deal with asap. You get a great sense of satisfaction and a clear sens What’s the point of keeping an email in your inbox from three months ago? File it or bin it!

harini Says:

September 24th, 2007, 13:03 pm

My gmail inbox has about 500 messages but i trim it down every week or so. i keep e-mails that are sort of “keepsakes” with funny stuff or whatever, but i tend to delete stuff and keep it as clean as possible.
i know people’s g-mail inboxes that are never cleaned out–it’s better to get it done right away or it will never get done.
Thanks for this article!

Karthik Says:

September 26th, 2007, 0:43 am

I have been practicing 0inbox after reading 43 folders for the last 10 days.

Great feeling to see 0inbox. I covert email as delete, or tasks and work from there on.

It gives great feeling and retrieving info is also much easy as there less emails to scout.

Karthik
Bangalore, India.

batista Says:

September 27th, 2007, 3:25 am

I need to play http://www.youtube.com and video

batista Says:

September 27th, 2007, 3:28 am

Ineed to play ronaldo’s video

Pra Says:

October 2nd, 2007, 11:31 am

Awesome tips! Thanks.

Christopher Says:

November 14th, 2007, 15:07 pm

Was saving 1,475 e-mails in other account. What on earth for? After reading here, meditating, breathing and laughing, went through them all, one by one. Now account is empty! Energy back in stomach again where it belongs. Thank you so much for clarity of intention. Chris in South Portland, Maine, U.S.A. (64 years)

Andy Says:

November 26th, 2007, 9:24 am

A clean inbox doesn’t equate to an empty inbox. My business thrives on the flow of information - I get server generated emails all the time, emails from potential customers, etc. While email is checked automatically every 3 minutes, the time I spend actually going over it is highly regimented. Normally, inbound email gets routed to subfolders, which then tells me what types of emails I have, without the need to immediately read them (unless it’s urgent, in which case, defined rules play a soothing tone). I spend some time in the morning, lunch, and evening going through the emails.

On a side note, when you call my office phone, it goes directly to voicemail. I do not answer incoming calls. I usually return an email based on a call - rarely do I spend time on the phone.

WordPress SEO Says:

December 26th, 2007, 20:53 pm

Ah, Andy - the famous telephone tag villain who cannot be reached by telephone but deigns to occasionally return calls.

A clean inbox was great. For six months. Then things got too busy.

I like the idea of moving the mails directly to tasks. It would be great if this could be done via software. For now it will have to be copy and paste.

lee fleming Says:

December 28th, 2007, 15:56 pm

I send emails I need to act on to GooToDo — a great web-based To-Do application from Mark Hurst of Good Experience. Very minimal interface. You can send your message w/ attachments to whatever date you need it to go to. Here is the application login: http://www.gootodo.com/ and here is Mark’s blog entry about it.

I try to keep my inbox clear, but find that sometimes I can, but sometimes it’s just not possible. Once out of the main box, it’s all just reference unless I’ve sent it to my GooToDo list. (Out of sight, out of mind. For real.)

Robin Says:

January 13th, 2008, 11:07 am

I am down to zero and have been for some time. Woo hoo go me! But I evisage how this could be even easier…

What would be ideal for the deferral option is an e-mail application that let you just archive the mail until a given date at which point it would hit your inbox again. It’s easy enough to use tasks to do this in Outlook but it’s a copy and paste hassle when email is web based. Besides I’d rather use just one tool instead of two.

Does anyone do this? What’s the alternative?

Jaxs Says:

January 29th, 2008, 19:15 pm

I read this post about two weeks ago, and since have tried very hard to “let go” of all this clutter, be it paperwork, emails, text messages, and even mental and emotional clutter. It’s something I’ve tried to do for the past two years but seems now, with a little bit of “zen habits” help, I’m finally taking some concrete steps. The clincher was when a dear friend of mine also told me “ERASE your old emails… Jehovah moves on… you should too.”

However, I just want to put out there, how difficult this was for me! I’m the first to admit how surprised I was when I cleared out my outbox texts on my phone and burst into a puddle on the floor! Embarassing but true. Now I got the chance to eliminate over 3500 emails (yes, that’s right, over 3500) I had been holding on to for years, y’know, “just in case”. In case of what? Ah, silly emotional bagagge!

Supremely happy to report, my inbox now stands at only 50.

Hope to clear that by the end of this week. Here’s hoping!

Jaxs

Kalena Says:

March 18th, 2008, 18:42 pm

Jaxs, if you are still here, do you have anything to share about the thought processes that helped you get over the letting-go hump? I also have a very difficult time parting with mail and things (both electronic and physical). It is hard for me to even get started, as much as I feel I want it.

DamionKutaeff Says:

March 22nd, 2008, 17:42 pm

Hello everybody, my name is Damion, and I’m glad to join your conmunity,
and wish to assit as far as possible.

.:robyn:. Says:

April 5th, 2008, 16:24 pm

This is my very first comment though, I’ve been reading you for quite some time on my blackberry via Viigo. So please accept this disclaimer regarding my newbie excitement.

I absolutely love an empty inbox. It took me until quite recently to begin implementing it fully but it feels superb! I began with my work email, which was simple because I have only been there a couple of months.

I found it easy to go through, archive and delete. If something needs to be in view until completed it’s usually the only thing left in my inbox that is read. I read the subject and who an email is from when the notification pops up, if it doesn’t look like it needs immediate attention I wait to check it. When I leave the office, I leave with an empty inbox.

As I mentioned work was easy, it’s been less than 3 months worth of email. My personal email has been a few years worth of email. The good news is that I am using gmail. So I started by deleting chunks of email by sender, subject, news group (I thought to myself if they are archiving it online, then I don’t need to archive it in my email) and labels that I previously made. That took a little while and is still the main way that I’ve been deleting the emails.

Then I began to unsubscribe to some newsletters. I had to be honest with myself about the ones that I was actively reading. I removed myself from some lists and added a few to my google reader, this way they are still accessible but not in my inbox. When I felt that I made a substantial dent I moved all of the mail left in my inbox to archive. I am continuing to go through the archive and eliminate emails. However, when I look at my inbox it’s often empty.

Now I find that I read more of the emails that come in. Even the forwards from my family that I previously would have deleted. I reply faster and when new email comes in I can decide what to do with it faster. I am currently using less than 10% of my mailbox and am looking forward to using less than 5%.

With a zero-inbox it’s easier to keep just the one email address because everything has a place!

Thank you Leo for your writings, thank you for letting my spew all over your comment box, and thank you for your passion!