Have you ever opened your email and seen it look like this before?
Inbox (142 unread messages)
Chances are, you have. It’s not unusual for the average person to receive upwards of 20, 30, even 40 emails a day.
Email is a powerful tool; it lets us communicate faster than ever before and it produces less waste since there’s no paper needed.Unfortunately, it’s almost too easy to send an email. The barriers of communication are so low, people don’t think twice about shooting off an email.
When you had to sit down, type a letter, put it in an envelope, find a stamp and mail something, people were more selective about what they sent.
Now, with the floodgates wide open, your inbox is likely full of reminders, questions, invitations, and chain emails – and it takes precious time to sift through what’s important.
An inbox stuffed with junk mail is overwhelming, and it’s a constant reminder of the fast-paced, never disconnected world we live in.
That’s why I developed a quick, simple system to keep my inbox clean. Knowing my inbox is empty and managed helps me to relax and focus on the task at hand.
Here are 4 simple steps to tame your inbox and stop wasting time with email.
Step 1: Create Folders
The first thing you want to do is log in to your email and locate the option to create new folders. These folders will help you separate information that requires action from stuff that doesn’t
Now, create two new folders: 1) archives 2) needs reply
The first folder (archives) is for anything that doesn’t require a reply, but needs to kept for future reference.
The second folder (needs reply) is for anything that requires a response from you.
Simple, right?
Step 2: Sort into Folders
Ok, here’s the time consuming part – go through all of your old emails and sort them into the appropriate folder. If it’s not important and doesn’t need a reply, send it to the trash.
If you’re like me, and hate wasting time with tedious work, just click “select all” and then delete. Just make sure to process any really important emails from the past week. Sometimes, to free yourself from something, you have to make a clean break
Step 3: Inbox Zero
Now that you have a clean inbox, the secret is to keep it that way. I recommend checking your email once a day. That’s often enough to not keep people waiting, and it lets you break from the habit of always being connected.
Each evening (or morning) you’ll open your email and find a bunch of new messages. Don’t let them pile up; process your inbox down to zero every day. This is the secret to maintaining Zen email.
Step 4: Rinse & Repeat
Ahh, a clean inbox.
For me, decluttering my life helps me to stay stress-free and lets me focus on things that matter.
So, go ahead, tame your inbox, breathe a sigh of relief and do something awesome with the extra time you’ve made.