{"id":12358,"date":"2020-10-27T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/?p=12358"},"modified":"2022-09-15T02:08:57","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T02:08:57","slug":"inbox-zero-is-a-state-of-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/inbox-zero-is-a-state-of-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Inbox Zero is a state of mind"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Takeaway:<\/b>A few tactics to help you inbox with intention: track your email usage, adopt email sprints, take an email vacation, suggest phone calls for longer discussions, and send less email. Estimated Reading Time:<\/b>3 minutes, 38s. Podcast Length:<\/b> 26 minutes, 8s (link to play podcast at the bottom of post).<\/div><\/div>\n

\"Inbox<\/p>\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While\u00a0the idea of Inbox Zero is\u00a0sexy, the reality is that most of us don\u2019t get there. Even if you\u00a0do<\/em>\u00a0manage to tend to every message in your inbox, it\u2019s only a matter of time before a new one comes in. Inbox Zero is a slippery, competitive slope, and can lead us to think about our email at all hours of the day, obsessively checking and replying to maintain an empty inbox.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I personally like to look at Inbox Zero as a state of mind\u2014getting to the point where you are dedicating zero mental space towards thinking about email. This requires a mindset shift where you bring more awareness into how you interact with your inbox.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While your email behavior will look differently depending on whether your work is more collaborative or autonomous, here are a few tactics you can use to change the relationship you have with your inbox.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1. Track your email usage<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Keep a post-it note tally for a day or afternoon to track how many times you checked for new messages. Then, reflect on why it was that you checked. Was it because you were expecting an urgent reply from a colleague, or did you need an excuse to procrastinate?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The latter may be a sign that you\u2019ve reached an impasse in your work. If that\u2019s the case, consider taking a short break so you can return to your most important work with the energy and focus is deserves.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. Try an email sprint<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I love this tactic and use it all the time. At the top of the hour or whenever you have the chance, set a timer for 10 minutes. Take that time to blow through as many emails as you possibly can. When your ringer goes, take the remainder of the hour to disconnect entirely and focus on other work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3. Take an email vacation<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This can be for an entire day or just a few hours when you\u2019re working on a deadline or have a task that demands a lot of focus. Most of us can go for this length of time without having our work fall apart\u2014and it\u2019s likely what you\u2019d be doing anyways if you had an important client meeting or an all-day seminar.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I had an old coworker who would shut down his email, set an\u00a0auto-responder, and take that time to hunker down on a big project. Not only does an email vacation give you the chance to really\u00a0hyperfocus, but it can actually give the illusion of greater productivity. Sometimes being truly productive means taking a few days to reply, and that\u2019s okay.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

4. Suggest phone calls for longer conversations<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is a simple rule: if you want to write an email that\u2019s longer than three sentences, pick up the phone and call someone. Some things are just easier to discuss verbally, and a phone call is often more efficient and nuanced than an email novella.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

5. Send less email<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The more email you send, the more you receive\u2014cut your inbox in half by sending less email yourself. Before sending a message, consider its purpose and the people who need to be included. Pausing for this moment will help you be a good email Samaritan and will also avoid the dreaded second email when you realize you forgot a point during your frenzied first reply.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

—\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Attention researcher Gloria Mark found<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that the more time we spend on email each day, the lower we perceive our productivity to be and the more stressed we feel.<\/strong>\u00a0Checking your inbox is easy\u2014what\u2019s more difficult is having the time, attention, and energy to read through and respond in a thoughtful way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Email was created for our convenience and it\u2019s an important way of sharing information with people, especially during these strange times. But we shouldn\u2019t feel beholden to our inboxes, and I hope you can use these tactics to free yourself from the idea that you should be immediately available and responsive.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Chances are your boss isn\u2019t paying you to respond to emails\u2014it\u2019s the focused, specialized work that happens in between those inbox checking sessions that really matters. Reclaim these moments and you will find you\u2019re able to work with greater time, attention, and energy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n