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Ever felt the sheer joy of seeing your inbox completely empty, with every email handled and nothing left pending?
No?
Never experienced that blissful moment?
Then this issue is just for you.
I've always believed:
How you do anything is how you do everything.
Your inbox management shouldn’t be random, especially if you engage with it multiple times a day.
That sporadic pattern spills into other areas of your life.
That's why, I always aim to create a system and optimize it.
The more regular the task, the more streamlined your system should be.
Today, I’ll share my top three strategies to ensure checking your inbox doesn’t consume your day.
Read time: 3.7 minutes
Before we begin: Here’s what you might have missed in the past few weeks…
Which one was your favourite? Just hit reply and let me know! 🫶
Big idea #1: Close the tab
Did you know that people spend 3 to 7 hours on email daily? 😳
Even during evenings, weekends, and vacations!
If this sounds like you, it's time for a change.
You can absolutely spend less time on email.
How?
With a better system.
I treat email like social media by scheduling specific times to check it.
Unless your job is to handle emails all day, you have no excuse not to try this.
Here’s an example that could work for you:
9 AM: Inbox management
1 PM: Inbox management
4:30 PM: Inbox management
Make sure to set a time limit (thanks, Parkinson’s Law!) — say, 20 minutes per session. That's just one hour per day, saving you 2+ hours!
A conservative estimate is that this system would save you 1.5 hours per day. That's 7.5 hours per work week — almost an entire work day!
Here's how it would look in your calendar:
Experiment and find what works for you.
Remember, every time you check your inbox, you're distracted from tasks that actually move the needle.
How can you integrate it into your typical workflow?
Communicate your new "inbox hours" to your team.
Consider setting an automatic reply like:
“Thank you for reaching out! I wanted to let you know that I check my email at the following times each day: 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 4:30 PM. I will get back to you during one of these scheduled times. Your patience is greatly appreciated. If your situation cannot wait until that time and you require urgent assistance, please call 123-456-7890.”
Give it a try! You’ll be amazed at how much time you can save.
Big idea #2: Practice Inbox Zero
Look how pretty! 😍
You don't need to see emails once you've opened, replied, or ignored them.
Here’s what to do:
Move to a folder: If you need to come back to it.
Archive: If you might need it later.
Delete: If it’s no longer needed.
The only two folders you really need are:
Action: For items pending your action.
Waiting: For items pending others' actions or replies.
Sounds nice, but where do you start with your 13,872 emails in your inbox?
Archive them all now.
You'll still have access to them and be able to search for them later. (For example, in Gmail, they’ll be in the All Mail folder.)
Step-by-step guide for Gmail:
Open your Primary inbox and select All emails:
Select all emails: To truly select all emails, not just those on the first page, click the prompt in the panel above the emails.
Click Archive: Confirm that you want to archive all messages and wait. It might take a few minutes if you have thousands of emails.
Repeat for other folders: Or delete emails if you no longer need them accessible through search, such as Promotions and Social.
By following these steps, you can achieve the bliss of Inbox Zero and stay organized effortlessly!
Big idea #3: Don’t procrastinate making decisions
Remember: How you do anything is how you do everything.
If you read emails now but reply later:
You're reducing your mental capacity by leaving open loops.
You're also training your mind to delay decisions.
Here’s how to change that:
Reply immediately: If you know the response, don’t delay.
Schedule replies: If you check emails over the weekend, schedule your replies for Monday morning.
Delete promptly: If an email needs to be deleted, do it right away.
Unsubscribe ruthlessly: Eliminate unnecessary emails that clutter your inbox.
Additionally, set clear rules for recurring emails:
Create filters: Automatically assign labels or move emails to specific folders as soon as you identify a pattern.
By making decisions on the spot, you keep your mental space clear and train yourself to act quickly and efficiently.
The Productivist Challenge: Optimize your email newsletter reading
Ever hesitated to subscribe to a potentially amazing newsletter because you’re worried about cluttering your inbox?
I’ve been there.
I subscribe to dozens of value-packed emails but struggled to keep up until I discovered two platforms that changed everything.
These tools help keep your subscriptions organized and make newsletter reading enjoyable:
Unroll.Me (free)
First things first, unsubscribe from all emails that don’t bring you value.
Unroll.Me is the perfect platform to accomplish this within minutes.
Ironically, I’m talking about decluttering via the very medium that could clutter your inbox 🥲. I hope I'm providing value, but if not, feel free to unsubscribe by scrolling to the bottom of this email (or by using Unroll.Me).
Meco (paid)
Meco is a sleek app designed specifically for reading newsletters.
It allows you to enjoy your favourite content in one place, without the clutter.
Setting it up is simple: download the Meco app, add your favourite newsletters (like The Productivist), and start reading!
The Productivist Question
If you ever find yourself complaining about a certain change or process being hard, ask yourself:
How would it look like if it was easy?
“Don’t overcomplicate it” is a great rule to live by.
Have a beautifully organized week ahead!
Valeriya
PS: What’s the biggest reason preventing you from staying consistently productive? Hit reply or DM me on LinkedIn!