Email has a bad rap these days. Many people struggle to stay on top of the incoming avalanche, yet alone worry about clearing out the old messages. Email was once viewed as a brilliant communication tool but has been denigrated to the dreaded obligation.
My Turning Point
I got burned by email several years ago – and this completely changed how I manage my 
inbox. Back in my management consulting days I was getting 100+ emails a day. I didn’t have (or didn’t make) the time to clear out my inbox regularly. Instead, I focused on the most pressing emails, leaving the rest for later (which never came).
Most of the time, I was able to catch the critical emails by scrolling back. But I distinctly remember the day when I missed a critical message. My sole, feeble explanation was that “it got lost in my inbox”. Groan.
It was then that I decided to clear out my inbox – and keep it that way.
How Clear is Clear?
Our inbox works best as a short-term task tracker. A realistic goal is to get our inbox under one screen. And I’m not talking about a jumbo 40-inch monitor – under 20 emails is a good target.
Our Inbox Has Just One Job
Our inbox is designed to do only one thing: alert us to new information / tasks. Some of these may sit in our inbox until we have time to tackle them later in the day or week. But all other emails should be deleted / moved to folders before they become clutter. We should not be storing information in our inbox.
Why We Need a Clear Inbox
There are three main benefits of having a (relatively) clear inbox:
- Nothing Gets Lost
The fewer emails we have in our inbox, the less likely it is for important messages to get lost. We feel more in control and current.
- Better Prioritizing
Maintaining a clear inbox shines a spotlight on what we do (and do not) have time for. We make more efficient decisions and adopt more of a “completionist” attitude. This prioritizing skill transfers to other parts of our work as we become more efficient in all that we do.
- Less Time
We waste a lot of time sorting through a clogged inbox scanning for outstanding tasks. With a clear inbox we spend less time sorting and more time doing. Email is no longer completely consuming us and we have more time for other things.
Ultimately, a clear inbox helps to turn email from a disruptive force into a strategic ally. If you are ready to clear out your inbox, stay tuned for our next blog post with tips to get there in less than two hours.
If you currently do keep your inbox relatively clear, how do you keep it clear? How does it feel to see some clear space in your inbox?
Leave A Comment