My Zero Inbox Plan

I get a great deal of email every day. After a while, my inbox starts to fill up, to the point where I had over 2000 emails in my inbox at one time. Then, I found Kyle Chowning's(@kylechowning on twitter, http://www.kylechowning.com)Zero Inbox plan. Here it is for those who don't know, the original plan is below.

My problem was that I have several different project areas going at once. Between Rock The Cross, Web Development, School, etc., my brain can't wrap around one folder for each category. So, I tweaked it. Under each category (action, someday, follow-up, and Archive), I created an individual folder for each area. It helps me in this way:

-If I am devoting time to catching up on RockTheCross emails and all of my Action emails are in one folder, I feel like I spend most of my time reading through trying to find those email. Now, I just go to the RTC action folder and burn through it. The same with the other folders.

It helps me keep my inbox clear and still stay organized with the information that I need to keep accessible. What are your thoughts?

1) Create a few folders:

• @Action – Used to put emails that require a timely response
• @Someday – Used to put emails that require your attention, but timing is not an issue
• @Follow Up – You put emails here that you’ve replied to, but it requires that you follow up with someone about the status of the email
• Archive – This is where all of your processed email will reside. When it’s here, you’re done.

2) Survey your inbox and look for emails that you know require a response. Don’t forget to separate them into what kind of response is required. Drag those into your @Action, @Someday or @Follow Up folders so you can process them later.

3) All emails that remain, select them all and move them to your Archive folder.

Before I go, here are some keys to remember:

• Your inbox is a place to process and sort email. It’s not where you store it.
• When an email comes in, if you can reply in under two minutes, do it immediately. If not, sort it.
• Empty your inbox every day. Yes, that means that when you shut down for the day, your inbox is empty.
• Set aside one day a week to go through your @Someday and @Follow Up folders to make sure out-dated items aren’t piling up. In doing this, you’ll be surprised at how on top of things you’ll feel.
• DON’T GIVE UP! Even if you get behind, spend an hour and process your inbox accordingly. </quote>

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