Ive long considered myself a member of the cult of inbox zero.
I have fouremailaccountsone professional, one personal, one for graduate school, and one left over from undergrad.
I deftly juggle all four inboxes, keeping them at or below 25 messages at all times.
JON STOKES/Getty Images
For me, having a clean inbox is simply a matter of stayingorganized.
When things are scattered, my brain cant compute.
(Scroll way, way down to learn more about these hacks.)
My inbox
If youre a novice, start from the top.
If youre more advanced, scroll to the section that best suits your needs.
Delete anything thats not relevant anymore (as long as youre sure you wont need it later).
Unroll.me’s mass unsubscribe feature
And hit report spam on any spam.
Do those two things, and you should be well on your way to a cleaner inbox.
Odds are, you wont need it again, but its worth it when you do.
Gmail’s folder/label feature
(Keeping an email that youll eventually need can save youa lotof time later.)
Its tempting to hold onto these in case I ever get the chance to read them.
But odds are, if I havent read them after a week, Im never getting around to them.
Gmail’s filter feature
If you really love a website and want to check it regularly, just bookmark it!
Caitlin G., 29
Because it happens, and you dont need those things cluttering your inbox.
Stacy H., 47
Theres no need to keep it in your inbox if its not your responsibility.
Amica’s inbox, with multiple inboxes
Under categories, you should see the commands manage labels and create new label.
Then, click create filter within this search.
Segment your inbox based on your personal priorities.
Maddy’s inbox, via Sortd
), Outreach, and Company News.
Select controls from the dropdown menu.
press labs and scroll down until you see multiple inboxes.
Gmail’s star feature
Hit enable, and scroll down to click save changes.
I loveSortd, a free app that works within Gmail.
I like knowing whats happening as its happening.
Boomerang’s pause inbox feature
Its a great way to stay on top of things.
Janice L., 55
I carve out 30 minutes everymorningto clear my inbox.
Handling it in chunks gives me time to work on other stuff in between without being interrupted.
Boomerang’s “boomerang” feature
Linda E., 58
Find a time when you dont really have anything else to do.
For me, that means Friday eveningswhen my kids are playing video games and my husbands commuting home.
Stacy H., 47
Use the one-minute rule.
Boomerang’s schedule reply feature
It might sound intense, but honestly, it keeps me from forgetting stuffor wasting time re-reading emails.
Nina B., 27
I star emails that require a more thoughtful response.
This serves as a reminder that I need to deal with that email sometime.
Additional Gmail features
If somethings really urgentsay, I need to follow-up that dayI mark it as unread, instead.
Peg T., 30
I keep my inbox sorted so starred emails appear at the top.
This keeps me from getting overwhelmed or distracted when Im in the middle of something else.
I absolutely love this tool.
Lets say, Im planning to attend an event one month from now.
Peg T., 30
Note:This is slightly different from the pause inbox feature outlined in #19.
When your inbox is paused, no emails come through.
I useSuperhuman, a paid email app, which makes things super fast and efficient.
I love using the option to bring an email back into my inbox if I dont get a response.
Sumaya K., 35
I useStreak, a Gmail plugin, to snooze emails until I need them later.
Peg T., 30
Sortd lets me schedule emails to be sent at specific future times.
It keeps my inbox clean and saves me from having a bunch of unnecessary tabs open.
Whats nice is that Todoist lets you tap on a task and see the exact email that inspired it.
Then, I put the original email in a folder.
Abbey B., 24
For maximum email efficiency, take advantage of things like custom shortcuts and canned responses.
Scan the top menu until you see labs, click it, and browse the available options.
Mines 30, but yours could be more or less.
If I have fewer than 30, well, Im in good shape.
Jamie Z., 26
Obsessing about keeping your inbox at zero daily can be a time and energy drain.
Just keep up with organizational habits that are sustainable for you, and dont worry too much about it.
Dont get so into it that you start wasting more time than youre saving.
