How I learned to effectively manage my inbox for good

How I learned to effectively manage my inbox for goodHow I learned to effectively manage my inbox for goodLast year around this time I pledged that I would finallydetox my inboxand learn to manage my schmelzglas once and for all. 365 days later, Im happy to report Ive changed for the better and havent looked back sinceHeres what I did to make the switch1. Take advantage of Gmail tabsI rely on Gmails Promotions and Social tabs to keep the junk out of my main inbox every day. That way, when I have the time, I can choose to give those tabs a once-over. At least once a month I do a quick scan in case Ive missed anything important (like a good sale on my favorite e-commerce sites) and just bulk delete the rest.I love these tabs for automated de-cluttering, but they only work as long as you drag anything you really enjoy reading (like Bossed Up emails, of course) to your priority inbox so you dont miss the good stuff2. Limit time in the inboxI used to have my inbox always open in a tab in my browser, but that was a huge distraction that made me susceptible to knee-jerk reactions instead of using email more intentionally. Now I only peek in on my inbox once every few hours starting just after I tackle my first biggest objective of the morning.Whenever possible, I try to finish the day with answering emails to clear out my inbox each evening, too.3. I use the touch it once ruleNo more mindless email-peeking If Im scrolling through emails on my phone, I commit to answering emails then and there, too. If Im not ready to deal with it, I leave it alone and save it for reading later.Otherwise, every time I peek in on emails just out of curiosity, I end up having to go back later, re-read them all over again and respond.4. I archive everythingI used to keep emails sitting in my inbox because I was afraid of losing a record of them. This was my biggest mistakeI didnt realize there was an option between the trash can and keeping them sitting in my inbox, but there is Get to k now the archive button It has become my best friends and Im aya youll find the same thing.Now whenever any email has been responded to and handled, I get it out of my view by clicking the archive button, which sends it away, out of my inbox, but still ensures that it comes up in search. And now, with Gmails handynudge feature, certain emails that youve sent but havent gotten an answer back on will be brought back to your inbox a few days later.In other words I do everything I can to just keep active email threads that require my attention in my inbox. Otherwise, they get archived and out of the way.5. I catch up once a weekEven though this new email regimen really has stuck and changed my work life for the better, nobodys perfect. So if I havent cleaned out my inbox by the end of the week, I always try to reserve an hour at the end of the day on Friday to finish the job. Theres no way I could be perfect about achieving inbox zero every day, so giving myself these catch-up days is ab solutely essential to stay on track.Want to give your inbox a detox this season?Give it a go and see if you can set your inbox up for better management this year. Just remember dont let perfection be the enemy of your progress. Stay diligent, but also have patience with yourself. Change is hard, but if you take it slow and steady, it can stick for you, too.This article was originally published on BossedUp.