Five Steps to Clearing Out That Inbox

January 28, 2008

If you’re a busy virtual assistant, you know what I mean when I say that I would L-O-V-E to see the bottom of my virtual inbox (ie: e-mail inbox) each and everyday. But… the sad truth is that I don’t.

It got me thinking… how on Earth could someone empty their inbox each and everyday and go to bed at night feeling less stressed and enjoy their next morning with fresh e-mails and fresh work. Well, you might be scoffing at me and saying, ‘Erin, that’s impossible!’ but… I challenge you to at least try.

To get you started, here are five tips to getting your e-mail inbox down to nil:

Use David Allen’s rule (he’s the Getting Things Done author - a must read for productivity!) that says, ‘If you can do it in two minutes or less, do it now and forget about it.‘ Good idea huh? So, any e-mail that takes you two minutes or less to answer, answer it and move on.
Create folders in your e-mail inbox to help you manage your thought process. In my inbox, I have the following folders: Done & Filed (for things not requiring further action), Subcontracted Work (for things I forwarded or gave to one of my assistants), To Discuss in a Meeting (for things I will discuss with a client on the phone) and finally Waiting on a Response For (for things I can’t action further before hearing from someone else.)
Create an e-mail address (Gmail is perfect) for things like newsletter subscriptions, shopping cart notices, etc. That way, you don’t have to worry about sifting through the unimportant stuff and can focus on that when you are good and ready.
Plan your time accordingly each day with as little distractions as possible. That way, you can actually get some of the work in your inbox DONE! Sounds simple but it’s one of the biggest hang-ups that VAs have - staying focused.
BATCH YOUR WORK. Why is this in capitals? It is one of THE most important things you’ll ever do. I could re-explain, but my previous post says all.