How To Get The Max Out Of The Inbox Zero Concept

Some of you may have heard of the “Inbox Zero” concept.

Some have maybe even tried it with more or less success.

And some are hearing about it for the first time or think it’s complete hogwash.

Whatever camp you belong to, let me be clear about one thing:

I don’t want to rehash the common advice on how to apply the “Inbox Zero” concept — you can find that with one quick Google search.

What those top-rated articles don’t explain, though, is that without understanding the core of the Inbox Zero concept…

Applying it will never come naturally. 

Meaning you will struggle and won’t see optimal results.

Today, I want to give you that core understanding and show you exactly what to aim for when using this concept…

While walking you through how I do it (with a unique twist) and sharing a resource that first introduced the concept to me and made it abundantly clear.

Let’s dive into it.

Understanding The Gist Of The Inbox Zero Concept

IMO, the best way to do this and get a higher-picture overview of how to best organize your work & personal life is this book:

“Getting Things Done” by David Allen.

It did the trick for me. But I’ve since added something of my own to it, as you’ll learn in the next section.

However, if you’re not 100% certain getting and reading this book now is a priority, let me give you a quick overview of how “Inbox Zero” works in practice.

The general idea is to organize your inbox in a way that ensures you focus your attention on the right things….

Without wasting time & energy on unimportant stuff. 

It’s not about having a clean inbox — it’s about having one that doesn’t clatter your mind and helps you know exactly what to do and when.

Think about it as a whole new way of seeing your inbox and having a system that removes worry, stress, and distractions while ensuring you stay on top of what matters.

To do this, the creator of the concept, Merlin Mann, suggests focusing on 5 key actions in the following order:

1. Delete unnecessary emails: If you don’t intend to read or reply to an email – delete it. Also, try to unsubscribe from any newsletters you don’t read to reduce the number of such emails in the first place.
2. Delegate: If an email is better suited for someone else on your team – forward it to them. Make sure the best person for the task gets it.
3. Reply to quick emails: If the email merits a response, and you can give it quickly — do it now. For me, “quick” means 5 minutes or less.
4. Defer non-priority interactions: If the email isn’t a priority or requires a deeper response — schedule the exact time when to reply. You can also notify the sender when you plan to do this and get them what they requested.
5. Do priority tasks: Now you should have a handle on what’s a priority — so complete those tasks. Work on the things that matter in the right order.

This theory sounds great, right? 

Of course, making all these decisions isn’t nearly as easy in practice and takes time to perfect.

What I suggest is keeping this core idea in mind and then creating your own systems that work out of it. That’s why I won’t go into how you can organize inbox folders, where to send your emails, etc.

To me, this is something individual, which comes from actually applying the process.

What I will show you is another way to think about inbox zero, which stands to make your variant of it much better than the norm.

The "Jacques Hopkins" Way Of Thinking About And Doing Inbox Zero

There’s one key thing about the concept no one (to my knowledge) challenged:

Why limit ourselves to emails?

Sure, it’s where the concept originated from. But today, there are more inboxes than we can count.

That’s why I developed an inbox zero system for every single one of my inboxes:

Slack, Notion, and even my physical workspace.

Again, the core principles apply. “All” you need to do is work out the nitty-gritty based on how the platform works and what suits you.

Now I invite you to do exactly this. Think about it on a high level and define all inboxes you have. Then, single out those where optimization could net you significant productivity gains while decreasing distractions and worry. 

Finally, start testing how to apply the inbox zero concept until you figure out the recipe that works for you.

And if you don’t find such a recipe – don’t despair. You might not even need it as many people function great without ever hearing about the concept.

But trust me, the act of trying will ensure you learn a lot about how you and each of your inboxes function…

Which will lead to changes that are certain to improve your productivity.

That’s what happened to me, at least.

Conclusion

If you understand the core of the idea, simply trying to apply the Inbox Zero concept can do wonders for your long-term productivity…

Even if you figure out it’s not for you.

Here’s to using the thoughts and resources I laid out in this article to do just that…

And hopefully revolutionize the way you approach your work & life in the process. 

I’m rooting for you.

-Jacques