How to achieve Inbox Zero in Outlook with SnoozeIt¶
What is Inbox Zero¶
Inbox Zero is a very popular email management technique. The idea is to keep your Inbox almost empty (zero messages), except for the few items on which you need to act right now. It is a good simple system that frees your mental capacity and lets you focus on what is important. If you do not feel that you have a good system for managing your email, time and attention, InboxZero is simple and easy to follow. Check it out.
SnoozeIt is a great tool for managing your Inbox Zero workflow.
Check email - process every message - leave Inbox at Zero¶
Every time you check email, you perform one of the following actions on every new message. After this you should leave no new messages in the Inbox. It may sound impossible. Try it, it is much easier than it sounds. And once you get used to it, you will be amazed by the feeling of the sense of control over your time and attention.
- Delete or Archive
- Delegate
- Respond
- Do
- Defer
- Delete or Archive
- If the message does not require an action from you, Delete or Archive it. If there is no important information in this message, simply delete it. If you need to keep the message for the future, archive it. SimplyFile and SimplyTag are great tools for organizing your archived email.
- Delegate
- If somebody else should handle the task, delegate the task by forwarding the message. You can use SnoozeIt to track the forwarded sent message and follow up on it if you do not receive a response in the timeframe you expect. After this delete or archive the message from the Inbox.
- Respond
- If it takes you only a few minutes to reply and you can do it now, respond right away. Then delete or archive the message from the Inbox.
- Do
- If you can perform the task that the message requires now, do it. Then delete or archive the message from the Inbox.
- Defer
- If the message requires a response or an action from you in the future or if you do not have time to deal with it right now, do not leave it in the Inbox. SnoozeIt and specify the unsnooze time for the message to reappear in your Inbox.
Do this for every new message and you are left with InboxZero.
Try it today!¶
Like every potentially useful tool or methodology, this will take a bit of time to get used to. And, of course, you are busy and do not have time for experiments. However, if what you do today does not quite work for you, give this a try for a week. You will immediately feel that you have more control over your time and less stress. Seeing an empty Inbox at the end of the day is a very rewarding feeling. Try it today!