When business owners are at the very beginning of their organization journey, we’re always asked: What’s the first step? And before we even get to solutions like project management and CRM tools, we want to dive head-first into one of the most overwhelming aspects of your business:
Your inbox.
We know, we know: The word alone might be enough to spark some anxiety. It may even seem like an impossible task. But just take a deep breath…*inhale*...*exhale*...and stick with us.
After all, emails are likely one of the first things you’re met with when you start your day. Unsurprisingly, this type of behavior isn’t good for us. Here’s the proof:
The TL;DR version of all of this? Emails are stressing all of us out. Whether you’re working a day job as you scale your side hustle or you’re a full-time business owner, we’re betting emails are just as stressful for you as a corporate employee. Maybe even more.
But when emails are your main lifeline for how you run your business — like communicating with clients, sending deliverables, checking in with team members, taking on new work, etc. — what are you supposed to do?!
Thankfully, we know a thing or two about organizing businesses, including how to achieve inbox zero every day.
Before you get started, it’s important to understand that inbox zero may not be possible right away. If you’re dealing with hundreds (or even thousands) of emails right now, that’s ok! But by following the tips below, you’ll come out the other side with a much more organized inbox, putting you on the right path towards inbox zero!
We know that this can be intimidating at first, but trust us: It's easier to work from a clean slate than to go through thousands of emails. The archive function doesn't delete anything, so you can go back and find things later!
Divide your emails into the following inboxes: primary, social, promotions, and updates. (If you have Gmail, the first three inboxes should already be created for you!)
The naming system for your labels (AKA folders) doesn’t have to be perfect right away. We just want you to create them now to make sure you use them later. To start, it might be as simple as folders like “Respond to Today” or “Keep for Future Reference.” You can always add more labels later as you come across emails that don’t quite fit into the ones you’ve already created.
Pro tip: Make sure to use color-coding for specific labels/folders to find them in your inbox quickly.
If you find yourself labeling the same emails over and over, you can create a filter that automatically labels them for you. That way, your emails are categorized without even thinking about it. Talk about a time-saver!
For all of my ClickUp users out there, use this ClickUp Chrome Extension, which helps assign and delegate emails!
Like we mentioned above, we know that getting down to inbox zero might not happen overnight, and it may take going through this process a few times. Just be patient with yourself and know that all of this work will pay off in the end!
Once you get through your first inbox overhaul and start getting the hang of this process, it’s time to set some boundaries. We know this might be the hardest part of this process, but think of all the stress and anxiety you’ll save yourself! After all, you have a life to live — a life that shouldn’t be dictated by emails.
Once you’re finished with steps 1-6, close out of your email. Close the tab, exit your browser, turn off desktop and mobile notifications (even the dings!), and do anything else necessary to separate yourself from your inbox. If you’re worried you might miss something, check out our next step.
See? We told you that you won’t miss anything! That’s because you’ll already have scheduled times to check your email. Whether that’s once an hour, once every few hours, or just once a day, the choice is yours! Use the power of calendar blocking to schedule when you’ll check your emails and for how long (we recommend about 10-15 minutes). That way, it’s already built into your schedule, and you have a designated stop time as well!
Pro tip: If you’re also worried about being “less available” to your clients and teammates, remember that your time and energy need to be protected, too. As you set these boundaries, don’t forget to communicate them with others! Maybe that’s giving your clients a heads up about your new process. Or you can change your policy to say that you don’t respond to emails outside of work hours. Whatever those boundaries look like for you, give everyone a heads up, so they know what to expect from you.
Now that you have a newly organized inbox, it’s time to rinse and repeat the entire process! During your designated email times, simply:
If the idea of getting to inbox zero is still overwhelming, we understand. That’s why we’ve created a free Inbox Zero video tutorial with everything you need to help you reach (and keep!) inbox zero. The results? An organized inbox, less stress, and more productivity!
[DOWNLOAD OUR FREE INBOX ZERO TUTORIAL]
