Getting your inbox to zero is one thing – keeping it there is another.
It’s the start of the work day. You open your inbox to begin processing anything that’s come in since you last checked, just as email training has taught you. You put a check next to anything that’s showed up because of that one email subscription a year or more ago – newsletters that you don’t even bother opening anymore – for a quick mass delete.
And only then – then – can you start working your way through the important stuff. That’s assuming that you don’t go through them more thoroughly, allowing this distraction to waver your attention for maybe ten or twenty minutes more before you can finally refocus on the day’s tasks.
What’s needed here, of course, is a bit of Ninja Ruthlessness. Be ruthless with your inbox, and ruthless with yourself. When was the last time you actually opened up any of those newsletters? Is the newsletter as relevant to your life now as it was when you initially subscribed to it?
You could continue to delete the clutter from your inbox every morning, or you could do your future self a favour, engage with your inner Productivity Ninja, and tackle the cause of the problem: the subscription itself.
The unsubscribing process is usually fairly simple. Most subscription service emails have an “unsubscribe” option (usually at the bottom), but for a quick way to manage all of your email subscriptions (even the ones that you forgot still had your details!), sites such as unroll.me are extremely helpful. You can see a complete list of your subscriptions, and manage them accordingly.
That’s it – a few clicks later, and you’re saving yourself some unnecessary email processing every morning! You don’t just get a say in what stays in your inbox – you have a bit of control over what’s allowed to land there in the first place, too.
Want to learn the techniques being ruthless email hacking to consistently achieve inbox zero every day – in your working hours? Take part in the Inbox Zero One-Day Challenge on 29th September. Tickets are half price (£49 + VAT) until 15th September.
The Inbox Zero One-Day Challenge is a live virtual workshop run by Productivity Ninja Grace Marshall (tickets available here) starting at 9:30am. She will spend the first 90 minutes sharing the techniques for achieving inbox zero, then leave it to you to get to that magic zero by 4pm. She’ll be available all day for any additional advice you may need!
Enjoy this post? Here are a few more email training posts to help you on your mission.