If you…
- Feel anxious opening your inbox full of unread emails
- Often miss important emails that need quick replies
- Can't find your to-do items buried in emails
- Always say sorry for late responses
- Hoard old emails "just in case"
- Let your inbox run your day instead of you
…then you need to try the Inbox Zero method. In this guide, we'll show you what is Inbox Zero method, how to get there, and how to stay on top of your email. We'll cover practical steps, and helpful tools to make your inbox work for you. Plus, there's a peak into how our founder achieves inbox zero, daily.
What is the Inbox Zero Method?
The Inbox Zero method is an email management strategy developed by productivity expert Merlin Mann. He first introduced Inbox Zero on his blog 43 Folders and then gave a talk at Google about Inbox Zero in 2007:
The primary goal of inbox zero is to keep your email inbox empty or nearly empty to reduce mental clutter so you can do focused work.
The "zero" in Inbox Zero refers not only to the number of emails but also to the amount of time spent thinking about emails. The goal is to reduce the time your brain is occupied with email management, rather than strictly achieving an empty inbox.
As per Inbox Zero, each email should be dealt with as soon as it arrives. You can take one of four actions — Delete, Delegate, Defer, or Do.
Delete: Remove Unnecessary Emails
Many people struggle with deletion due to the "what if I need it later" mentality. To counter this, consider using archive features instead of permanent deletion for borderline cases. But remember that most information can be found again if truly needed. The time and mental energy saved by maintaining a cleaner inbox often outweigh the rare instances where you might need to search for an old email.
When tackling your inbox, be ruthless with the delete button. Start with those daily automated reports you've already glanced at - they're often outdated within hours. Newsletters pile up quickly, so delete those even if you've not read them. Internal company announcements about events that have passed, like office celebrations or temporary policy changes, can usually be safely deleted. The same goes for group emails where your input wasn't required and the discussion has concluded.
The goal is to keep your inbox as a tool for active communication and tasks, not as a catch-all storage system.
Delegate: Forward to the Right Person
Delegating a task or email is particularly important for those in leadership or collaborative roles. To decide if you can delegate an email, ask yourself two questions:
- Am I the best person to handle this?
- Could someone else on the team do it better or faster?
If the answer to any of these is a yes, hit forward and send it to the right person.
When forwarding an email, always include context about why you're delegating and what action you expect. This might involve adding a brief note explaining the situation or clearly stating the desired outcome. For example, you can say — "Hi Anki, could you handle this customer inquiry? It's related to the product feature you developed last month. Please respond directly to the customer and cc me on your reply."
Then archive or delete the original email from your inbox.
Defer: Set it Aside for Later
If your email needs:
- Nothing urgent
- More than 2 minutes to handle
- Additional information before you can respond
- To be addressed at a specific future date
- A thoughtful response you can't give right now
- Input from others you're waiting on
Then it's a good candidate to defer.
When deferring, don't just leave it in your inbox. Have a system to make sure it resurfaces when you want to tackle it.
One easy way is to use Sunsama integration of tasks and calendars (Gmail, and Outlook).
You can add the email as a task to your Sunsama task list for the day you want to handle it. Estimate how much time you'll need to respond. If you know the time of the day when you'll do it, just drag the task from your list to your calendar on the right in Sunsama.
You'll see the deferred email alongside your other tasks, ensuring it gets the attention it needs at the right time. This approach keeps your inbox clean and your workday organized, all in one place.
Do: Quick Response Emails
When an email is not suitable for deletion or delegation, you're left with the option to handle it yourself. But then you have the choice to defer it or do it.
Reply to an email only if:
- It's truly time-sensitive and can't wait
- You can complete the task associated in less than 2 minutes
This approach, often called the "2-minute rule," helps maintain your productivity.
If someone just needs a simple "got it" or "thanks," don't overthink it. A short, clear response does the job. For these quick acknowledgments, you can also set up templates or canned responses. Most email clients let you save pre-written messages for common situations. This way, you're not typing the same thing over and over.
When replying, make sure you address all points in the original email. If there are questions, answer them all in one go. If there's a decision to be made, make it clear. The idea is to leave no loose ends that might prompt unnecessary follow-ups. If you spot an issue that might lead to a lot of back-and-forth, consider switching to a more direct form of communication — Slack, Loom videos, or a meeting.
2 Tips for getting your inbox to zero
Unsubscribe ruthlessly
We often subscribe to newsletters, updates, and promotional emails with the best intentions. We think, "This could be useful someday" or "We should stay informed about this topic." It's a form of digital hoarding that many of us engage in, driven by our fear of missing out (FOMO) and the perception that more information equals better preparedness or success.
The reality is different.
Most of these subscriptions end up unread, cluttering our inboxes and our minds. They create a backlog of "should-reads" that generate guilt and stress, ironically reducing our productivity and peace of mind.
So you have to unsubscribe from emails and preserve your attention. Set aside 10-20 minutes a day for a week. During each session, go through as many emails as you can. Here's a process you can follow:
- For each subscription, ask yourself: "Have I opened and gained value from this email in the last 30 days?" If you haven't engaged with emails from a particular sender in over a month, unsubscribe.
- Use services, like unroll. me, to easily unsubscribe from multiple newsletters with just a few clicks.
- If you subscribe to something new, unsubscribe from something else to maintain balance. You have finite time in the day so your inbox should also be finite.
Set up filters and folders
Our inboxes often become chaotic due to the sheer variety of emails we receive daily. We get a mix of critical work communications, personal messages, newsletters, notifications, promotional offers, and more. When all these land in one place, it becomes overwhelming to sort through and prioritize.
This leads to several issues:
- Important emails get buried under less urgent ones.
- We waste time repeatedly sorting through similar types of emails.
- The visual clutter of a full inbox causes stress and reduces productivity.
Take some time to create filters in your inbox. Here's how to implement this system:
- Identify email patterns: Look for recurring types of emails you receive (e.g., newsletters, receipts, updates from specific projects).
- Set up folders for each category you've identified (e.g., "Newsletters", "Receipts", "Project X Updates"). Create a hierarchy of main folders with subfolders so you don't end up creating a lot of folders.
- Create rules based on sender, subject keywords, or other criteria. For example, if an email is from team@project.com and contains "urgent" in the subject, move it to the "High Priority" folder and add a red flag. This ensures critical team communications are immediately visible and separated from less urgent matters, allowing for quicker response times to pressing issues.
An Argument Against Inbox Zero
In his book "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" Oliver Burkeman challenges the inbox zero approach. Burkeman argues that becoming more efficient at processing emails only leads to receiving more emails.
"Productivity is a trap. Becoming more efficient just makes you more rushed, and trying to clear the decks simply makes them fill up again faster." ~ Oliver Burkeman
Instead of striving for an empty inbox, Burkeman advocates for a more accepting approach to our limitations. He encourages us to recognize that we simply cannot read, respond to, or even care about every email that lands in our inbox. This perspective shifts the focus from processing every input to carefully selecting where we direct our finite attention and energy.
The contradiction between these two approaches shows how we view productivity and, the meaning we derive from our work and lives.
Inbox Zero, with its emphasis on processing and organization, aligns with a view of productivity that values clearing tasks and achieving visible metrics of success. In contrast, "Four Thousand Weeks" pushes us to consider whether this approach might be causing us to miss the bigger, important goals.
So what should we do — try the Inbox Zero method or not?
The key is to use the Inbox Zero as a means to an end, not the end itself. It's about creating a system that allows you to focus on what's truly important, rather than getting bogged down in digital clutter.
And you'll know that the system is working for you when you'll stop freaking out when you see your inbox. You'll stay cool when a "super urgent!!" email pops up. Instead of scrambling to deal with it right away, you'll calmly sort it into your system like any other message.
Our Founder's workflow to Achieve Inbox Zero, daily
Ashutosh, the founder at Sunsama, has developed an efficient email workflow that allows him to consistently achieve inbox zero. At the core of his system is a daily routine that begins with a 15-minute triage session. During this time, he quickly scans his inbox, making rapid decisions about each email.
Each email is either immediately deleted, or transformed into actionable tasks. For more complex emails that require a response, he sets aside a dedicated hour each day to process them thoroughly.
A key aspect of Ashutosh's method is his use of Gmail in its most basic form. By removing the default tabs and categories in Gmail, he creates a simple binary system: emails are either in the inbox, requiring attention, or they're not. This straightforward approach helps him maintain focus and avoid the distractions that can come with more complex setups.
Keyboard shortcuts help him navigate quickly through his inbox.
The real power of his system comes from its integration with Sunsama, a daily planning tool. Using a quick keyboard command, he instantly converts an email into a task, complete with the email's URL for easy reference. An automated process then archives the email when the task is done, keeping the inbox clutter-free.
By combining these elements - triage, simplicity, automation, and thoughtful organization - Ashutosh has created a workflow that not only keeps his inbox at zero but also transforms it into an efficient task management system. This approach allows him to stay on top of his communications without feeling overwhelmed, demonstrating that with the right strategy, even the busiest professionals can master their email.
Here's a quick video about Ashutosh's workflow to achieve inbox zero (~2.5min)
Achieve Inbox Zero and Maximum Productivity with Sunsama
Achieving inbox zero is a great start, but it's just one part of mastering your workday. True productivity comes from managing all your tasks, time, and goals. This is where Sunsama can help. It's a daily planner for busy professionals.
With Sunsama, you can:
- Consolidate tasks from emails, project management tools, and your to-do list in one spot
- Plan your day visually, seeing how you're spending your time
- Track progress on your most important goals
- End each day with a clear mind, knowing tomorrow is already mapped out
Try it for free for 14 days. No credit card is required and you can cancel anytime.
