How To Reclaim Wasted Time From The Blackhole that is Your Email Inbox

All too often as entrepreneurs we default to "working more" to "get the job done"...

Well today I wanted to share what i'm NOT doing so I can work less, and still get the job done.

It starts with productivity, and for me productivity is just as much about what NOT to do as it is about what TO DO.

Tim Ferris popularized the idea of a "not todo list" in his 2007 book "The Four Hour Work Week", which emphasized having a "not to do list" as much as a "to do list".

So I started using this "not to do list" personally when I read the 4 hour work week back in 2011 and found myself deviating from time to time.

Though I find that a 50 minute focus finder to re-adjust my priorities at the beginning of the week is always best, and asking "what do I need to take OFF my to do list" is a good way of identifying what needs to be delegated or just eliminated.

When I find that i'm having to do something over and over again I ask myself "how can I NOT do this, but it still get done?" That's when I either outsource it, or I delegate it to a system like a "clean dirty" dishwasher magnet, deferring email until a specific time in the day, or simply handing it off to someone more qualified or who earns less per hour than I can charge for my highest value activity.

For Email, how do I get rid of hundreds of emails without worry?

Well before I tell you the app that saved my life (and countless hours of email checking) I want to discuss something I like to call "email simplicity" and the "1 touch method".

I don't think I'm the originator of the term but I borrowed the concept from what is more popularly known as the "Merlin Mann Method".

There are a lot of different terms for this but they're all virtually the same and that is, vowing to only touch paper or pixels 1x (pixels being a digital version of mail).

There's also a simple 5 folder structure and not sticking to this structure is just being lazy (alert, no fluffy stuff here, just real talk!)

Before I was "touching" the same emails dozens of times and never doing anything with them... only when I started to be ruthless with my email did I start getting stuff done #GTD.

So adopting this "1 touch” method of never saying "i'll deal with this later” and instead "what do I need to do with this NOW" was how I was able to clear out hundreds of emails in just a few days.

I also started doing "email sprints" of checking email for only 20-30 minute session.

Again the foundation of this philosophy is that you MUST follow the above principles or this won't work. Doing email sprints 2-3 times a day and not sticking to the 1-touch method, will result in you just wasting 2-3, 20-30 minute sessions a day without making progress.

Here's what the process looks like in a visual:

Now I didn't find any success with using prior email software like mac mail, so I searched for another software and tried many in the process. Some of the applicants were gmail, mac mail, thunderbird, outlook, and so on.

Apple mail, microsoft, mozilla and gmail all were too "cluttered".

I used mozilla for about 3 weeks and my inbox became rediculous. Too many features and navigating to the different switches was a cluster bomb of problems...

So I quickly searched the good ol' youtube and found a video detailing the top email client software for mac (because I'm on a mac).

Unfortunately the top resource was a service called "newton" which has since been discontinued, but the next available option was a system called "Spark" and the best part was, it's free to use.

Let me just say this, Spark is the best thing since sliced bread (though I don't eat much bread so lets change that to peanut butter.

Spark is the best thing since peanut butter. No, almond butter... and if almond butter doesn't tickle your fancy how about Nutella? ok what about Vegemite? Haggis for all my Scotch, Irish, brethren? Whatever you get my point.

It was a breath of fresh air.

It made managing 8 separate email accounts seamless and simple, you can click on the main "inbox" and sort all your emails in order assigning them to one of the 5 categories or simply drill down by email account, sort, archive, assign or delete then move to the next one.

I love the simple clean interface and how simple the functions are.

As a bonus the inbox zero functions are built in as well.

Whether on desktop, iOS, or tablet the interface is just as clean and easy to use.

And as a bonus their SEO is ON POINT, using the keyword modifier "Best" + "branded keywords" for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android is smart.

If you aren't already doing this for your product or service then you need to start. Start using modifiers like "best" and "near me" (for local businesses) to get customers who are looking for higher quality and less price sensitive.

The software has a cool schedule later feature like gmail, only I can schedule + archive with one click for later in the day, week, or weekend. Plus it has a really clean interface.

This is truly one of the few email client management tools that is minimalist enough to provide focus benefits but still robust enough to get the job done.

Now granted, I only get about 300 - 400 emails a week so this isn’t insurmountable but between that and unsubscribing from unwanted newsletter promotions I was able to finally reclaim my inbox. A proud moment for me personally.

Here’s what the method looks like in a visual:

To Do: Action Required

Delete or archive (throw it or archive it for later)

Delegate: waiting on someone or don’t need to deal with

Respond: in less than 2 minutes? Respond now

Defer: schedule for later

(I also made this note):

3 X 20 MIN PER DAY - BE DELIBERATE

One touch rule - touch it only ONCE 

One of the reasons I typed out the process too was so that it was all searchable in notes.

My next personal project is to follow this same rule for my notes and notebooks full of information that I’m going to work on parsing down and getting rid of the “dross” that’s cluttering my storage spaces.

I’ve been working on 80-20 rule by Richard koch and implementing what I’ve been reading.

I spent the last weekend (roughly 6 hours) reading and reflecting on it and it was a blissful experience.

Clarity was gained to say the least.

What are you doing to improve your quality of life, both in the work place and in your personal life? Comment below, share this article if you found it useful, and until next time keep the hustle.

Cri Childs

Founder of Intelligents Marketing | A Boutique Digital Marketing & Austin SEO company helping small business owners compete better in a digital world.