With a constant stream of emails that flood your email inbox on a daily basis, it is difficult to stay productive. Do you remember the last time you had zero unread emails in your inbox? This is especially true for customer support representatives and managers who work with many customers every day. This means they receive a lot of emails, so aiming to respond to all of them is the way to save time, mental energy, and stay on track with their work. Inbox Zero is about reducing the stress of email and has become a staple of digital productivity advice.
Inbox Zero
Inbox Zero is not about having zero unread emails in your inbox. If you receive tons of emails every day, achieving that is virtually impossible. Inbox Zero is really a philosophy about dealing with a constant stream of emails. It is something that you must know about if you are looking for ways to tame your email inbox and be more productive and efficient.
Reframing the Way You Think about Your Email Inbox
If you thought that Inbox Zero means having an empty inbox, you are not alone, as there are many websites on the web where the concept is explained that way. This is false, and you shouldn’t worry about that. An empty inbox is impossible to have, and if you do, it is only temporary, so don’t even try to make it your goal. The only way to have an empty inbox is to have no inbox at all.
Start thinking about your email as a messaging service. Not every email should be answered immediately because it is impractical. Some emails are more urgent and should be prioritized, and you have to try dealing with each email in some way soon after you receive it. For each email you encounter, there are a few options for you to choose from:
- Archive the mail immediately if it requires no action on your behalf.
- Respond and archive it immediately if it requires a simple reply you can take care of in a minute.
- Snooze it to a time/date when you will be able to handle it if an email requires some level of thought. Snoozing will get the email out of the way, so it doesn’t distract you. Then, it will reappear, and you will be able to dedicate your time and attention to it.
The core of the Inbox Zero philosophy is getting your tasks out of your mind so you can concentrate on things you need to know. Your focus and concentration are limited resources that you should try not to waste.
To achieve the real Inbox Zero, you should turn off your alerts and stop checking email more than 2-3 times per day. Access it only when you are ready to deal with what’s in it. If your notifications are always turned on, you should know that you are dealing with productivity poison. Get rid of all those stops along the way, and you will start finishing things that you want to be done more quickly. If you are interested in utilizing ServiceNow to streamline your email flow, call us or reach out on Twitter.
