Imagine spending a month just answering emails. while this seems like an exaggerated time frame for email, it’s actually quite accurate for many employees. Multiple surveys report that the average worker spends 28% of each business day on email. another survey reports that the standard time it takes for a worker to check their email (personal and work-related) is 6.3 hours per day. when you add up all those hours, the total amount of time spent on email exceeds 30 days per year.
While undoubtedly essential, email management shouldn’t take a full month’s time. In this article, we’ll show you how to reduce this burden using Inbox Zero principles in just a few simple steps.
how to achieve zero inbox in gmail
what is inbox zero? Developed by productivity expert Merlin Mann, Inbox Zero is an approach to email management aimed at reducing the stress of a constant influx of emails and optimizing your inbox with automated tasks. achieving an empty inbox is nearly impossible unless you simply block all incoming messages, which defeats the purpose of email itself.
Most people receive dozens, even hundreds, of emails daily, many of which require an action item rather than simply being read. while it seems logical to mark an email for sending later, postponing other actions now simply delays the deadline and hampers efficient workflow. even though the email doesn’t require immediate action, you still know it’s waiting for you; this displaced attention can cause additional stress.
The goal of Inbox Zero is not to have an empty inbox: it’s a mindset that focuses on getting tasks out of your head so you can focus on more pressing responsibilities. You can implement these six simple steps to reduce email-induced stress in the quest for inbox zero.
1. optimize your inboxes
If you’re juggling multiple email accounts, it makes sense to simplify the process and send all email to one central account. gmail makes it easy to forward emails from one email account to another. once you’ve done this, you’ll still want to send messages on behalf of these accounts. Follow these instructions to learn how to do it.
another step to optimize accounts is to set up a shared inbox. Designed for team collaboration, shared inboxes allow team members to jointly manage company email addresses, such as sales@ and support@. A shared inbox allows multiple users to access the same email address without the need to share passwords. this method of email management increases collaboration and transparency between teams.
Create a shared inbox in just a few steps with gmelius. start for free.
2. remove – do – delegate – defer
delete
Spam, promotions and junk emails clutter your inbox. if an email is not important, delete it immediately. these types of emails should leave your inbox as quickly as they arrived to keep the number of emails low.
do it
Any message in your inbox that takes three minutes or less to respond to should be handled immediately. Postponing simple tasks creates larger, more demanding tasks in the long run. complete the task quickly, then archive the email.
delegate
Doing the work is one thing, but delegating is an entirely different matter. it’s important to recognize when an issue can be handled better by someone else or if it doesn’t concern you. if you get an email that can be handled by someone else, delegate it!
defer it
Time-consuming emails are unavoidable. delete them from your mailbox until you have time to deal with them. gmail allows you to snooze emails so they return to your inbox at a date and time of your choosing.
with gmelius, you can take this one step further and create an intelligent, “if this, then that” email sequence flow. Not only do they allow you to automate your outreach, but they can also order and defer incoming responses associated with your email campaigns.
learn how to automate and manage your scope using gmelius scripts.
3. reply to repetitive emails using templates
The faster you reply to an email, the faster it will disappear from your inbox. but do you sometimes wonder why you keep writing the same emails over and over again? you are not alone, and there is a simple solution: use template responses. gmail offers a feature called “canned responses”. this is limited to inserting plain text, however gmelius offers a powerful alternative called smart email templates.
Use gmelius templates to insert boilerplate text into an email, automatically personalize the recipient’s name, adapt the subject line, add labels, and more. On top of that, gmelius allows teams to share email templates with other team members to save time and keep messages consistent.
To provide excellent customer service, you can also set up triggers to automatically send instant responses, such as confirmation emails or thank you notes.
4. use filters and share gmail tags
If you receive many emails from the same client or colleague, you can create a filter to label and archive all the messages you receive from this person in a separate folder. using filters helps you focus on important emails and saves less urgent messages for another time.
This article explains how to properly use gmail filters.
If you’re working on a project involving multiple team members, you can share gmail tags with your team using gmelius and collaborate on your client communications. this means you can leave copy and forward in the past. Plus, shared Gmail labels can be applied with a single click to sync specific conversations to your teammates’ respective inboxes without cluttering their inboxes.
Follow this guide on how to use shared gmail labels.
5. delegate emails to your teammates
Consider every email as an opportunity to eliminate a waste of time. Unless information in a message directly applies to you, delegate that email to the appropriate team member. simply choose your colleague’s name from a dropdown list to automatically share an email. one click to share, two clicks to assign. accountability is clear and everyone is on the same page. use internal email notes to add context to email conversations, or ping the right person with an @mention.
Learn how to delegate emails with a single click using gmelius.
You can even take email delegation to the next level by automatically assigning specific emails to the right teammates with smart workflow automations.
6. keep emails short
an email response should be appropriate to the topic it covers. if a question demands a one-sentence answer, that’s perfectly acceptable for email. While it may seem impolite to write a shorter response, many people just don’t have time to read long emails. If you’re determined to adopt zero inbox habits, keeping emails short will get you one step closer.
Learn more about creating custom email templates with gmelius here.
other useful tips for better email management
In addition to the six steps above, here are a few more tips for better email management.
- disable email notifications. notifications can be distracting. While it’s important to stay informed, turning off email notifications can increase your productivity. follow these steps to know how to turn off all gmail notifications.
- Check emails once a day. As new emails arrive, it’s easy to feel compelled to check them. instead, develop a schedule that works for you and limit opening emails to once or twice a day. this allows you to stay focused and still respond in an appropriate time frame.
- schedule emails to be sent in a batch. Batching and scheduling your emails allows certain recipients to receive the same email simultaneously, at a time convenient for you. you. with gmelius, you can schedule emails for a time and date of your choosing.
- turn emails into tasks. gmelius offers trello-like kanban boards that allow you to turn emails into chores. gmelius boards integrate into your inbox, allowing you to visualize and collaborate on your project and customer pipelines with your team.
By applying these six easy steps along with our helpful tips, you’ll be able to make smart decisions, provide concise answers, and manage your inbox efficiently and effectively.
It’s possible to achieve a zero inbox when you reduce stress with these email management tips. Check out our features and integrations and learn how gmelius is built to improve team communication and collaboration. ready to start? register today!