---
title: "Inbox Zero"
id: "502"
type: "post"
slug: "inbox-zero"
published_at: "2008-02-28T04:40:44+00:00"
modified_at: "2008-02-28T04:40:44+00:00"
url: "https://factor1studios.com/inbox-zero/"
markdown_url: "https://factor1studios.com/inbox-zero.md"
excerpt: "If you are like me, you probably live in your email. Its a monster at times. But great management of your inbox can be an amazing thing. Recently someone shared a great video from Merlin Mann speaking at Google with..."
taxonomy_category:
  - "resources"
---

# Inbox Zero

#### By Matt Adams February 28, 2008

If you are like me, you probably live in your email. Its a monster at times. But great management of your inbox can be an amazing thing.  
 Recently someone shared a great video from Merlin Mann speaking at Google with me. Its a long one, but great. If you are familiar with the books by David Allen *Getting things Done*, or *Ready for Anything*, you’ll understand where this is coming from.  
   
    
 I wanted to share the video, but also share some of my take home points, since its 50 minutes long.

- Your email is simply a medium for communication. Keep it that way
- Process all emails to zero. Sort, store and apply actions each time you check your mail
- Decide in the moment you check an email what that next action is
- checking email is not enough.
- Think of email as working at a deli, taking orders for customers. Taking the order isn’t enough, it requires an action, an order to be fulfilled. Different orders require different actions.
- Define a certain number of possible outcomes for each email. Merlin Mann’s 5 are: Delete, Delegate, Respond (in under 5 sentences), Defer for later action, and Do Now.
- Dont be afraid of junking or Deleting emails. If no action is needed, and move on
- Keep your system simple
- Your inbox is for stuff you havent read yet. thats it
- a PDA or Blackberry will not help if you dont have a system
- Make this process a habit

Quick tips for keeping the process going

- Turn off the email while working on other things
- Limit the time you check your email (like for 10 minutes each hour) and move on

Overall this is common sense. But I find it hard to keep up with.  
 I have been trying these things so far:

- Only checking and responding to yesterdays mail
- Set up smartFolders to sort certain types of emails
- Only checking emails once an hour for fires to be put out, If there are no fires, I move on.
- Using a to do list for action items
- I am trying to keep on my 5 actions for all emails

So what do you think? Are you trying anything on this list, or anything different?

#### By Matt Adams February 28, 2008