To be honest I have about 25 old emails saved on most days. I try to take any action that is needed and delete any unnecessary emails, but I always have about 25 sitting in my inbox.
Today I am going to share an idea for emptying your email box to zero emails and making space for creative inspiration.
In this process you will not be getting rid of emails you need for future reference, you save those in an email folder. It's about having zero email in your inbox.
Having emails pile up in your inbox call out for attention, making it difficult to decide what to work on. Having an empty inbox means no distractions or competition for your attention.
Consider the content of your inbox in three categories:
Stuff you don't need - automatically delete any of these type of emails.
Stuff you might need to refer back to - these are the emails you move out of inbox and store in you email folders.
Stuff you need to take action on - these are items you need to put on your to-do list.
Don't have a to-do list that is working for you - Here is a link to a printable options:
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| Printable to-do list |
You can also keep your to-do list online with GoodTodo.com
I have not tried this program, but reviewed the site and I am going to give it a try. You can transfer emails right from you inbox and on to your to-do list, and any item you don't complete gets moved to the next day. Two features that I think would be really helpful.
However you choose to track your projects and to-do list items, clearing your email inbox will make staying on task easier. Think of how nice it will be to have a cleared out inbox giving your mind more space for bigger inspiring thoughts.
How many email to you have in your inbox?
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You know, I'm pretty good at deleting the emails I respond to right away, but I do end up with several sitting around with info I need for one reason or another. I really do need to create some email folders to organize them!
ReplyDeleteI have TONS of email in my inbox. . . I know what you say here is true, so I will do my best to begin the work of getting to zero. . . soon.
ReplyDeleteI can never get mine to 0. I have a personal e-mail address and a business address and both have at least 15 messages sitting there. I try to move keepers into a folder to keep more organized!
ReplyDeleteI very, very rarely get my inbox to zero, but I'm happy if it's in the single digits! I have tons of folders and I love to shift emails over each time I check in. I'm actually in my 'blog' folder right now, catching up on some reading! ;)
ReplyDeleteFunny you should talk about this today! My husband came home from work on Friday night and said that he would have to go back to the office on Saturday because he had 250 messages in his inbox! That's just one weeks worth!
ReplyDeleteI try to empty mine everyday, but what scares me are the folders. I think I'll go make sure I haven't forgotten anything! :)
I had to go look at my inbox to see just how bad it was...4,812 emails in my inbox!!! I'm terrible about saving things that really need deleted. I'm an email hoarder :)
ReplyDeleteI love your downloadable todo list...every todo list needs doodle space :)
Lovely advice!
ReplyDeleteI can't have unopened emails in my inbox. Just the thought of it makes me feel crammed. I decide on the fly if I need it for future reference and act mercilessly :) I don't know how some people can survive with thousands unread emails!
For to do lists, I use a feature in my gmail, which is easy and quick, or use my google calendar, which can send me an email reminder.
I always love to have a cleared-out inbox! I have a bunch of folders so that I can keep emails from certain people that I want for future reference, and that way I can also keep things organized. :) I may have a very slight case of OCD. xD (Which is probably why I like Google Chrome so much. I just downloaded it as my new web browser, and it's so NEAT and EASY TO USE and ORGANIZED and FAST! Plus, it's free. I love it!)
ReplyDelete