I’m always amazed at how overwhelmed nearly everyone I know and respect are by their inboxes. People who are absolute rockstars in life and business are brought to their knees by the oldest digital tool around. In the last few weeks I’ve had half a dozen people ask me how I manage to get to Inbox Zero every week – here you go.
Note, Inbox Zero is not a goal I set, it’s just a result of the systems and tools that I use to be incredibly responsive in communication and keep tasks & conversations organized.
The main tool in my arsenal is FollowUp.cc. It’s built for Gmail, works in Outlook but really shines in Gmail. There are a lot of similar tools (Boomerang, Gmelius, etc.) but for me this one checks all the boxes.
Here’s a few ways I work:
- An email comes in that I don’t need to deal with until later: I’ll “snooze” it, so it’s gone from my inbox and pops back up at the time/date that I’ve specified.
- I send an email to someone that requires their response: First I can see and get notified when they open it and second, I can have it send me and/or them a reminder if they haven’t responded by a date/time that I’ve specified.
- I write an email but don’t want to send it until later: I just schedule the date/time I want it to send and don’t have to remember to later on.
The 2 major benefits I get are:
- I don’t get overwhelmed by all the emails sitting in my inbox and can focus on what’s important, when it’s important.
- I never have to create and manage todos for things that are in my inbox.
There’s a lot more to what it can do, but those are the basics. Give it a try and I hope it helps. I have no incentive to get you trying it out – it’s just a killer tool that keeps me out of the weeds.
Check out FollowUp.ccCheers,
Michael
