Why I Delete Every Unanswered Email, Every Month

Stop Worshipping Inbox Zero

I used to think Inbox Zero was the mark of a disciplined mind.

For a brief stretch in the late 2000s, the practice (ideology?) promised a life under control and a mind unburdened. But somewhere along the way, it became a treadmill.

Inbox Zero is not an end state at all — it’s a Sisyphean ritual.

Every cleared inbox is a boulder rolled uphill, only to tumble down again the next morning.

Eventually I stopped.

More accurately, I declared bankruptcy.

As of September 2025, my system is simple:

Every day, I do my best to reply to the emails I can.

When the last day of the month arrives, I delete everything still sitting in my inbox. If a message matters, it’ll find its way back. If it vanishes, that’s often the truer measure of its value.

It’s inbox zero, but not as the founding fathers intended.