How to Empty Your Inbox

PCMag.com defines an inbox as an area in memory or on disk that holds received messages that have not been read or processed. Yet I know of a lot of people who leave dozens, if not hundreds of emails in their inbox to remind them of things they need to do, events they need to attend, etc. The email inbox is not meant to be a to do list, a contact manager, or a calendar app. You could use it for those purposes, but not very well. It's kind of like using a soup spoon to cut a steak.

Here's a procedure I use to get my inbox clutter-free and manageable. What you will need -

• spam-filtering software


• to do list app


• calendar app


• address book app

Sort your inbox by date received. Go through each email and perform one of the following actions -

• Flag as spam


• Reply - if you can reply in 2 minutes or less, do so. If not, add to your to do list.


• For to do list - This is for any email that requires an action, including waiting for someone's reply. Add all pertinent info to the Notes field and assign a due date.


• Add to schedule - This is for anything of interest that has a future date on it. Add to your calendar with an appropriate alert. If applicable, add the location to your address book


• Archive - for information you know you will need later. This may include emails you processed with a Reply, For to do list, and Add to schedule actions


• Delete - for everything else

Here are some other tips that will help you process email more efficiently -

1. Check emails less frequently. If you can get away with checking only 2-3 times a day, do it. I check email twice a day on weekdays - before going to lunch and before close of business.

2. Create mail templates for your most common responses.

3. When composing emails, limit it to 5 sentences or less. I use the Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) approach. I state my main point in the first sentence and the other 2-4 sentences to support my point. For quick replies, I try to make it Twitter-style - 140 characters or less.