We will introduce a way of working that’s similar to a good clean-desk policy, in which your inbox has just one function: it’s the place where new emails you haven’t decided about reside. Nothing else. To get there, you need to effectively process the email in your inbox – which you can do in five simple steps:

1. Turn off pop-up email notifications.
2. Process your inbox just a couple of times a day.
3. Empty your inbox each time...
4. ...by quickly sorting each email into one of four action-related folders (using keyboard shortcuts).
5. File all emails that no longer require your attention in a single folder.

Step 1: Turn off notifications

Step 2: Process your inbox

Step 3: Empty your inbox

Step 4: Sort into four action-related folders

Step 5: What no longer needs attention