Glaring into somebody’s laptop screen is not what I normally do. But I was triggered by a “zero inbox” sticker, and I saw anything but.

Recently, I sat in a meeting next to someone who had a sticker on the laptop screen saying “zero inbox”. The sticker was flashy enough for me to look at the person’s screen (I hate when people look at my screen, but I have a privacy filter instead of a flashy “zero inbox” sticker).

What I saw on that screen was anything but “zero inbox”. The person switched between Outlook and Gmail, managing two messy inboxes during the meeting. Occasionally, the desktop screen revealed that it wasn’t just a mess in the email inboxes, but also on the desktop.

In the good old days, people said that by looking at somebody’s desk, you could judge how orderly (or unorderly) their minds were. Today, just look at their email inbox or their computer desktop.

Rather than talking too much about other people, let’s look at how you can truly achieve zero inbox. Here are some practical tips.

1. One Topic, One Email

I’m sure you have received lengthy emails spanning multiple topics, preferably with a long CC line. Recently, I overheard somebody bragging about using AI to write longer emails.

Longer emails usually contain multiple topics. And the more topics in an email (and the more people on the CC line), the harder it gets to work through an email and file it for good. Furthermore, longer emails run the risk that they are misunderstood by all those people on the CC line, and them replying to all to clarify things — you’ll get more email instead of less.

If you strive for “zero inbox”, then write short, concise emails. One topic, one email. It’s not just easier to work through short, concise emails; it’s also much easier to file (and later retrieve) them.

2. Pick Up The Phone

Most of those lengthy emails are useless anyway: For complex topics, you will have to speak to people. It’s an illusion that you can avoid holding a meeting or calling somebody by just writing an email. Problems will always bounce back, resulting in more emails, and finally in a meeting or call anyway.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and settle the issue instead of generating more emails.

3. Create Tasks

When I am asked to do something via email, I don’t leave the email in the inbox until I find time to complete the task. I write back to the sender, acknowledging that I will take care of the task and giving an estimate by when the sender can expect the requested deliverable.

Then, I create a task in my personal sprint board where I track my work. And I am filing the email to keep my inbox tidy.

4. The “Waiting” Folder

Sometimes, I ask somebody else to do something for me by email. Instead of leaving this email in the sent items folder, I move it to a special folder called “Waiting”. There, I keep all the messages where I am waiting for an answer from somebody. When I receive the answer, I file the entire email trail.

And yes, I check the “Waiting” folder once a week. All those people who have worked with me know that they will get reminders if they don’t reply to a message that is sitting in the “Waiting” folder.

5. Delete With Pride

Last but not least, lots of emails are not worth keeping. Status update emails from all the cloud tools you use, messages exchanged to find a date to meet, etc.

I am not the kind of person who keeps every email, just in case I will need it to prove something to somebody in the future. I delete emails quickly and with pride. My email inbox is neither a meeting minutes repository nor a contacts archive — there are specialized tools for these tasks.

Conclusion

What do we learn from those thoughts on “zero inbox”?

First, “zero inbox” is an end, not a means by itself. It’s a result of your work ethic, not a tool.

And second, always remember that the more emails you write, the more emails you will get. Ciao ciao, “zero inbox”.