Tame your inbox
As TED’s UX Architect, I like my inbox the same way I like my designs: simple, orderly, and communicating clearly what to do next. Many people have no problem with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of unread messages in their inbox; if that’s you, you can stop reading now. But if you’re like me, unread email gives you stress — and it pretty much ensures important things will fall through the cracks.
Here’s how I keep my inbox at (or near) empty at all times. Be forewarned: this plan isn’t easy, but it works. I’ve been doing it for years with success, and I’ve helped others — in fact, some on TED’s tech team — do the same.
Step 1: Accept that your future self won’t have any more time than your current self.
I’ve noticed a trend among people with full inboxes: they don’t deal with emails as they arrive because they believe that, at some point in the near future, they’ll have time to be able to focus on each message and take appropriate action. Here’s the hard truth: the level of busy you feel right now? You’re likely to feel that next week, next month and next year. If you start from the premise that this mythical free-time unicorn doesn’t exist, you’ll find it a lot easier to make decisions as emails arrive rather than put them off for the future.
