How To Get To Inbox Zero Everyday With

SaneBoxDelete | Delegate | Defer | Respond

| Do

An average person today spends 13

hours/week processing email – that’s 30% of

our working time spent on a completely

reactive activity! And “doing email” is only in

your job description if you’re doing customer

service.

Inbox Zero is not just “having no emails in

your Inbox”, its’ also a process for how to

achieve that state consistently.0

1. Delete/ Archive

WHYI f y o u c a n t e l l b y t h e s u b j e c t l i n e a n d s e n d e r

t h a t t h e e m a i l i s n o t i m p o r t a n t - j u s t d e l e t e

o r a r c h i v e i t w i t h o u t o p e n i n g . I t ’ s c r i t i c a l t o

p r o c e s s u n i m p o r t a n t m e s s a g e s i n b u l k .     I t

w i l l n o t o n l y s a v e y o u c o u n t l e s s h o u r s , b u t

w i l l p r e s e r v e y o u r s a n i t y.

HOWS a n e B o x fi l t e r s u n i m p o r t a n t e m a i l s i n t o t h e  

S a n e L a t e r f o l d e r , w h e r e y o u c a n s c a n t h e m

b r i e fl y , m o v e t h e o n e s t h a t d e s e r v e a t t e n t i o n

b a c k i n y o u r I n b o x a n d h i t “ d e l e t e a l l ” o r

“ a r c h i v e a l l ” . Yo u r I n b o x i s s a v e d o n l y f o r

i m p o r t a n t e m a i l s .

PRO TIPI f y o u n e v e r w a n t t o h e a r f r o m t h e S e n d e r

a g a i n , d r a g t h a t e m a i l t o   S a n e B l a c k h o l e  a n d

a l l f u t u r e e m a i l s w i l l g o s t r a i g h t t o t r a s h .

I t ’ s l i k e u n s u b s c r i b i n g , o n l y e a s i e r.

2. Delegate

HOW

I f t h e r e i s a p o o r s u c k e r w h o c a n d e a l w i t h s o m e

o f y o u r e m a i l s - b y a l l m e a n s , f o r w a r d i t o n . B u t

h o w d o y o u k n o w f o r s u r e i f t h e y g e t i t d o n e ?     O n e

h e l p f u l t o o l i s S a n e b o x’ s   S a n e Re m i n d e r s   f e a t u r e .

J u s t B C C 3 d a y s @ s a n e b o x . c o m ( o r

d e c . 3 1 @ s a n e b o x . c o m , o r

m o n d a y. 9 a m @ s a n e b o x . c o m o r a n y o t h e r

t i m e f r a m e ) , a n d i f y o u d o n ’ t h e a r b a c k f r o m t h e

t h e m b y t h e n , w e ’ l l s e n d y o u a r e m i n d e r.

PRO TIPA d d “ k e e p ” t o t h e a d d r e s s

( k e e p . 3 d a y s @ s a n e b o x . c o m ) a n d y o u ’ l l g e t a

r e m i n d e r w h e t h e r o r n o t y o u g e t a r e s p o n s e

SUPER PRO TIP

C C t h e r e m i n d e r a d d r e s s i n s t e a d o f B C C ’ i n g i t f o r

a d d i t i o n a l p r e s s u r e

3. Defer

I f a n e m a i l i s n o t u r g e n t , o r n o t a c t i o n a b l e u n t i l

l a t e r , m o s t p e o p l e t e n d t o l e a v e i t i n t h e I n b o x . I t

f o r c e s y o u t o s u b c o n s c i o u s l y p a y a t t e n t i o n t o t h a t

e m a i l e v e r y t i m e y o u s e e i t , w h i c h i s t e r r i b l e f o r

p r o d u c t i v i t y.

S a n e B o x’ s   S n o o z e F o l d e r  h e l p w i t h t h i s t o o . J u s t

d r a g a n e m a i l t o S a n e To m o r r o w, a n d i t w i l l

r e a p p e a r i n y o u r I n b o x t o m o r r o w m o r n i n g a s

u n r e a d . Yo u c a n a l s o c r e a t e f o l d e r s t o h o l d e m a i l s

u n t i l n e x t M o n d a y , o r a n y o t h e r t i m e f r a m e . ( O r

y o u c a n a l s o j u s t f o r w a r d i t t o a r e m i n d e r a d d r e s s

s a m e a s a b o v e a n d w e ’ l l p u t i t a t t h e t o p o f y o u r

I n b o x w h e n t h e t i m e c o m e s ) .

4. Respond

WHYI f a n e m a i l i s r e a l l y u r g e n t , o r i f a r e s p o n s e w i l l

t a ke u n d e r 2 m i n u t e s , r e p l y r i g h t a w a y. D o n ’ t

p o s t p o n e o r w a s t e t i m e t h i n k i n g o f w h a t t o d o

w i t h i t . S a n e Re m i n d e r s c o m e i n h a n d y h e r e t o o

i f y o u n e e d t o m a ke s u r e t h e r e c i p i e n t g e t s

b a c k t o y o u b y a c e r t a i n t i m e .  

PRO TIP

O u r Re m i n d e r s a r e r e a l l y q u i t e m a g i c a l – t h e y

w o r k a n y w h e r e y o u s e n d e m a i l s t h e s a m e w a y

( o n y o u r p h o n e a s w e l l a s d e s k t o p ) , a n d c a n d o

l o t s o f s t u ff .   Fo r e x a m p l e , y o u c a n u s e t h e m t o

s e n d r e m i n d e r s t o y o u r f u t u r e s e l f – e v e n

r e c u r r i n g r e m i n d e r s ( e . g . s e n d a n e m a i l t o

e v e r y. Fr i d a y. 4 p m @ s a n e b ox . c o m w i t h s u b j e c t

“B r i n g fl o w e r s t o t h e w i f e ” a n d y o u r m a r r i a g e

w i l l b l o s s o m ) .

5. Do

Lastly there are emails that actually

require you to do work. This is the one

part SaneBox can’t help you with. But if

you are diligent with the steps above, the

only “Do” emails in your Inbox are the

ones you will work on and process today.

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