Empty your Inbox

A few days ago, I was interviewing Raytheon's CEO Bill Swanson for my new book.

Along the way, he shared a one of his habits with me that blew my mind: He empties his Inbox every day. No email goes unanswered. Moreover, he's made himself available to most employees that need to voice concern or make suggestions. That is an impressive feat, I don't know if I've ever emptied my email Inbox completely.

The reason he does that is because he considers it a part of professionalism and accountability. He's probably right. By letting emails stack up, we prioritize some messages over others and often ignore some completely. If we commit ourselves to an empty Inbox, we may also recover our weekends as well as control over our email life. You can imagine that Bill gives tough love feedback to repeat email offenders that fill his Inbox will unecessary information. If you adopt this policy, you may have to use Bill Jensen's CLEAR system approach.

I'm going to attempt an empty Inbox for the next business week, which of course means that first I need to plow through about three dozen unanswered emails!

Comments

[Kibet]

I share Lawrence's sentiments.

Nothing sucks more than getting a reminder on an email sent a week ago, but which you totally can't remember receiving!

[Bill Swanson]

Tim

I am waiting to see the results of your efforts after I read about my interview on your blog!

Two hundred emails is considered a light day around here....( ; - ))

Bill

[erik hansen]

tim,
i recently spoke with Mark Hurst, author of Bit Literacy and he's an advocate of an empty mailbox at the end of each day as well. and shows you how to do it. but the best thing is the To Do software [ www.gootodo.com ] he's developed. you can email to the future. say you've got something that you can't answer today but you know in a few days you'll have the information that will help you. well, instead of letting that email linger in your inbox, send it to the future and then answer it when you're able. it's fabulous.

[Lena West]

I, too, think it's rude and unprofessional for someone not to return emails or phone calls in a timely manner.

What you're really saying to the world when you do this is:

I am unable to handle the workload I currently have.

I don't have any strategies in place to deal with it.

I refuse to delegate, which by default, makes me a control freak.

Newsflash: Get an assistant. If you can't afford one, get a $20/hour VA. Get a clue.

Unanswered emails absolutely send the WRONG message.

[Jim Fickley]

Over the last month I have emptied my inbox everyday. Like Matthew I have turned every email into and action. It is unbelievable how this one discipline has changed how I feel at the end of the day. I'm not ruminating over what I will say tomorrow or what the next action will be. I've put it in somebody else's court. I've also benefited from starting with a clean slate the next day and really have weekends free.

[Matthew Cornell]

What makes this possible for me (and I do it) is to use a system (GTD is great). The essence:

o Each message is "sticky" - you deal with it, then get it out of your inbox. No exceptions. No "checking" email - now you're "working" it.

o To deal with each, use a variation of the 5Ds: Delete, Delegate, Do (if possible in 2 minutes or so), Document (file), or Defer (do later).

You need some lists to track this - actions (for defer) and waiting for (for delegated). There's more to this...

o To get fast, keystrokes (esp. "move to folder") are crucial. As is getting faster at typing (!)

Let us know how it goes!

[Luke Rumley]

Great thoughts, and for more noble reasons than I do it.

The GTD / Inbox Zero methods are how I stay sane with email these days. Turn every email into an action or task, and delete or archive the ones that are not actionable.

[Scott Schnaars]

For all of the reasons mentioned above, I've been trying to keep my inbox to less than 30 items by the end of every day.

The easiest way I've found to do this is to sort by subject. It allows you to look at the most recent thread, respond, and file everything else.

[Lawrence C. Scott, Jr.]

I can see how this can work! I have often prioritized my inbox and even prioritized certain questions. This has lead to vital questions unanswered.

Mr. Sanders keep us posted on how this works for you and I will do the same!