Inbox Zero is that magical place where your inbox has ZERO items in it. We work with clients on a regular basis that learn how to have nothing in their inbox with our simple solutions.
If you are using your email inbox as a catch-all this post is for you! Last week we talked about not fearing your recycle bin. In that post we said that step 2 was “Keep working files in action folders”. The above image shows you an example of what that would look like in your email program.
Here is how it works:
Once you have read the email in your inbox you make a decision right there and then. Ask yourself, should I:
- Do It
- Delegate It
- Defer It
- Delete It
Every email we receive will fall into one of these categories.
If you chose to Defer It, then it will be placed into one of your working or action folders.
If you chose to Delete It, then it will go to your new found friend…the recycle bin. 🙂
If you chose to Delegate It, then it will be forwarded to the appropriate person with a nice note as to what you would like them to do with it. Then you will move the email to the recycle bin.
If you chose to Do It, then it’s time to do the task at hand and move on to the more important things in life like taking a walk with your family. 🙂
Finally take a few minutes each day to work on items that you have placed in your working folders. No more inbox mess with 1700 emails in it!!!
One final note. If your working files begin to become overwhelming then you will need to reevaluate the time you spend working in those folders, or the amount of tasks that you have put on your plate. 🙂