How I Email
Immediately after typing the title of this post I thought about how strange it sounds to type "How I Email", using it as a verb rather than a noun as it's usually used these days. Actually, I'm not even sure of the "proper" way to use it because it can be a noun just as easily as a verb. You email somebody (verb), or read an email (noun). In retrospect the analogue mail is used in the same way, so this entire digression from what I want to type out really has no purpose. Sorry.
The main event: I like reading productivity posts and reading about people's different systems. A week or so ago I had a short back-and-forth with someone on Mastodon1 who talked about using Inbox Zero. If you're not familiar with it, the concept is as simple as keeping the number of messages in your inbox to...zero. I believe it relates to the inventor of email recently stating that the purpose of the inbox is just that: it's an inbox that you're supposed to deal with and empty, just like the paper inbox on your desk (if you have one of those). I'm sure people were practicing Inbox Zero before that, but the principle aligns nicely with that apocryphal story.
I aspire to the Inbox Zero ideal but haven't quite reached that goal. In practice I operate my email inbox (personally and professionally) as the aforementioned virtual tray. Messages come into my inbox and stay there until I deal with them in some shape or form. When I'm done, they are either archived or deleted. I'll go into some detail for the system I use for both professional and personal settings, because they're slightly different - if only because I need my professional setup to be more robust than my personal email.
Professional Email
This is the email address I use for my job. I'm lucky that I'm never inundated with hundreds of daily emails, but just a quick look at my deleted items today tells me that I've received at least 33, but definitely more than that because I've archived some and others are still sitting in my inbox. From what I can tell, that's excellent - I don't understand how people receive so many emails that it becomes unmanageable. Although, it looks like I've only sent 31 emails today so perhaps the amount of email you receive may be related to the amount that you send. That's just a guess, and I also think that the higher up the corporate chain you are, the more you're likely to receive as well.
Even so, I recently had additional duties added to my responsibility, so I needed a way to manage my inbox more reliably and make it easier for me to find things and figure out what kind of action is needed on messages in my inbox. Before I get to the details of the method, I think it's best if I try to describe my version of "Inbox Zero".
Every message in my main inbox requires an action. The default is a response: someone has sent me a message and is expecting some sort of reply. If it's an easy answer, I can deal with it in minutes and delete it. Sometimes I may not be able to reply right away so it must sit in my inbox waiting for further action. Other times I may have replied to it, but it remains relevant and time-based - it stays in my inbox until it's no longer relevant, at which point I decide whether I can keep it (archive) or discard it (delete).
One of the things I've set up that is immensely helpful is set up Categories. This isn't groundbreaking, but what really works for me is that I no longer sort my email by date received, but I sort by Category. Looking at my list now I have 15 different categories, though not all are in use - some are only relevant for certain times of the year (Christmas) and some simply don't have messages in them currently, or very often. By default, when emails arrive in my inbox, they will arrive un-categorized - (none) - which allows me to sort the messages accordingly. Ideally I can do this by only looking at the subject line, in which case I can put off reading it if I'm busy, but if it's not a helpful subject I'll have to open it up and figure out what to do with it.
But I also have rules set up in Outlook, many that I've developed as messages have come through or follow specific patterns. Certain people get specific labels every time, and certain emails get categorized the same way every time. This way I don't need to deal with the emails at all until I'm ready to read them. I also get a lot of automated emails that have no content; these emails are automatically marked as read. I need to refer to them from time to time so I don't auto-delete them, but this way I'm not interrupted by the emails as I'm working.
If an email requires an action that I can't complete right now, I use Outlook's flag feature to follow up. I try to flag it for the same day, but I know there are times I have to flag it for the future. I have one that I can't fully clear out of my inbox until next month, so it's sitting with a follow-up flag; it's in my "Important" category rather than my "Follow-Up" category, because it's related to a billing matter and is pretty important to avoid future trouble. Normally most emails that require a follow-up but don't belong in a specific category get dumped into the "Follow-Up" category. Right now there's just one of those.
So with this set up how do I deal with emails or try to get to Inbox Zero? I mentioned a few times now that emails sit in my inbox until they're dealt with. Like I said if it's a straight-up reply, the message will get moved along rather quickly. But sometimes, even though I may have replied, I like to keep the email as a reference until it's no longer relevant. A good example right now is an email I have outlining Ontario Election Advertising Guidelines. I don't need it sitting in my inbox, because it's not an action item, but it's something I may need to reference. Once we get to the end of the election advertising period I won't need it so I can archive it (I won't delete it, because election advertising rules don't usually change so it's handy to have it a quick search away). Until then, it sits in my Inbox where I don't have to search for it.
Some emails I let sit in my inbox for part of the same day I receive them, as I try to decide what to do with them. I guess that's normal, it's just my way of saying "I don't deal with them immediately". Right now there are 10 emails in my inbox, and I could probably take out at least 5 of them right away - I just haven't yet. Maybe 6 of them.
This is a long way of saying that I sort my work email by category and it's super helpful in keeping on top of things I need to do and to stay organized.
Personal Email
On the personal side, it's easier to manage in terms of volume, but it's not as "pretty" to look at. I do the same sort of thing - I try to only keep emails in my inbox that I need to respond to or I've dealt with. Right now it looks like a mix of bills (I keep them in my inbox until they've been paid, either by my own doing or automatically) and personal correspondences. I have one email from Brandon that has an attachment I haven't gotten around to reading yet, for example2. On a good week my inbox has maybe 2-3 messages, which is good!
The only issue I have is that while I use labels to organize things, it's still organized by date & by thread. I haven't really looked into whether or not I can sort by label (I probably can). This is kind of what makes it ugly - everything is mixed in together and some things get lost in the clutter. Maybe I'd read Brandon's email sooner if it was more top of mind.
And then there's my podcast/music blog email - it's a complete mess. I clean it out every so often but it is the complete opposite of Inbox Zero.
I don't know if this is actually helpful to anyone, but it was at least fun for me to write. Share any tips or tricks you use with me!
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Or if you prefer, find me on Mastodon. And there's also Bluesky!