My thoughts on Inbox Zero

I saw Brandon Wilson's post on Inbox Zero and wanted to write a detailed comment, but I am turning it into a post.

I believe, Merlin Mann, the creator of 43folders and a big proponent of GTD (getting things done methodology) coined "inbox-zero". I don't know his original motives. But in GTD, you take everything from your head (the open loops) and put it down in a paper or a system. David Allen calls, your mind is a place for having ideas not holding them.

What GTD does to your mind is that you don't worry on the action items, next things to be done and suddenly go in a micro-panic mode or miss deadlines. You trust the system, which augments you to get your stuff done. You have an open-loop (something to be done, followed-up or whatever), you put it in your GTD inbox. You review it once in a day (or twice or 5 times, based on your convenience), triage it, review, delegate or schedule.

It is the same concept that is getting applied to your inbox. The goal is not to hit "zero" emails in your inbox. It is to avoid any important mail slipping through the cracks and focus on the important things. 

I have tried many times and failed in Inbox Zero attempt in the past 4 or 5 years. But I came across this excellent article, which literally broke down the steps for me. After implementing this, I feel so relieved. I probably check my mails 8 to 10 times a day. It takes me very less time to get to zero mails. I simply follow the steps, have set up the systems mentioned. (The article is also the inspiration behind a super-cool email product called Superhuman, which costs $30 per month 🥵)

Now I treat almost everything other sources of information as an Inbox. (I wrote about it in detail here). 

Am I perfect? Is everything rosy in my life? Hell, no. I still make mistakes and I still battle other challenges. But I can say for sure that "inbox-zero" has taken me one step forward in managing my chaotic life and workflows.