#6: Is your Unread count depressing you?
How to get to #InboxZero in 2 minutes and become a happier person
I’ve been part of the #InboxZero club for years now. My inbox never overwhelms me and I can get through it in less than 5 minutes a day. I know, jelly right?
But don’t worry, we’re friends now. And if there’s one thing I like to do for my friends is help them simplify their lives.
So over the next three emails, I’m gonna share some very clear, simple steps to get your inbox under control forever.
Okay, ready? Here are the steps:
Go to the “All Mail” tab or equivalent in your email tool of choice. (Some of your emails are split into folders and tabs, so we want to make sure we capture everything. But if you don’t have an equivalent, use your Inbox.)
Click the checkbox to select all, then click “Select all #### conversations in All Mail”. But not before you feel deep shame at the number that comes up.
Click “Mark all as read”. In GMail, this is hidden behind the three little buttons at the end of the top bar (as shown below). In other tools, it might be different.
Finally, while all the emails are still selected, click on “Archive”. It’s the little box with the down arrow in GMail.
And there you have it! A brand spankin’ new inbox that allows you to start from scratch without losing any potentially important information in your inbox. Now if you ever need to find something, simply search your Archives instead of your Inbox.
For the next couple weeks, try to do your best to keep your Inbox under control by handling emails as soon as they come in and archiving the ones you no longer need. That will keep you at Inbox Zero forever.
In the next two emails, I’m gonna share the best ways to free up loads of space in your email junkyard, then give you a few solid tips for preventing the trash pileup moving forward.
Looking forward to it? Let me know. Also, reply to this email and share your (previous) unread count. I love horror stories.
PS. No cool things to check out or personal updates this week. I’m thinking of scrapping those sections altogether. If you don’t think I should, let me know. I did find this though…
Just kidding, don’t throw away your kids. Donate them to charity.