How To: Get Inbox Zero Every Day [Video]

On any given day, I wake up to 100+ emails. It’s the lifeblood of my business (and likely yours, as well) but it’s also the bane of my daily life. I honestly can’t remember the last time that I saw my inbox at zero and I was pretty sure that I never would again.

Then I saw these 7 steps from my friend Tim Miles that I thought you’d find interesting. There’s a video at the end, where Tim shows you exactly how it all works, but the 7 steps are a massive leap toward achieving our mutual goal.

1. If it takes less than 2 minutes, deal with it now.
2. Delete more, filter more. Never “deal with it later”.
3. Use Instapaper or Read It Later for interesting links sent to you.
4. Delete even more.
5. Write shorter replies. [Try the 3 Sentences method]
6. Use your calendar and to-do list, not your email.
7. Use IMAP for mobile.

I have to admit, I do each of these from time to time, but I never do them with enough regularity to make them effective. Though I’ll also admit that I don’t use IMAP, as my Google accounts are synced automatically from my Android device and I don’t use a desktop email client of any sort.

So there you have it. Tweak as you will, but I think that Tim is onto something here. He’s known for making big ideas amazingly easy to digest. Don’t believe me? Here are his thoughts on essential recruitment questions (an absolute must-read for anyone who will ever have to hire someone), as well as a sure-fire way to get your Twitter content re-shared.

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