It took me a while, probably a few months, but I finally managed to achieve Inbox Zero.
The trick is to still keep all of your emails, treat your inbox as a to-do list, and archive those emails that you have already addressed. I find that this system works very well, even if I do get between 10-30 emails a day. Things would rapidly spiral out of control. I create virtual folders using labels. Using punctuation marks or symbols like @ enables the folders to appear first.
I also create rules to automatically label incoming emails from senders who email me frequently. While I do not auto-archive them, I do archive them quickly enough.
Unlike some other adopters of Inbox Zero, I do not use the Gmail notifier app nor do I use GTalk. I find those disruptive and it’s a lot better to check your emails a few times a day, at set times. I check my email about 3-5 times a day, no more.
The other thing that I’ve done is cutting down on social networking. I do use Twitter, but other than that, except blogging, I don’t do anything else. I find it pointless and time consuming.
Facebook is a prime example. I have loads of acquaintances that are my friends on FB. The trouble is that I honestly don’t want to know about everyone all of the time. Creating fake connections is also something that I do not like or enjoy.
I keep contact with the people I like through emails. I’ve stopped publishing content on FB for a while now. I’ve thought about deleting everything, but decided not to. I won’t be closing my FB account either. It still has some uses.
