How ultra-productive people manage their email. Would you like to cut the time you spend on emails in half? Do you think “inbox zero” is actually possible, or a silly Silicon Valley legend? I recently interviewed over 200 entrepreneurs, CEOs and highly successful solopreneurs for my new book, 15 Secrets Highly Successful People Know About Time Management. I learned that ultra-productive people don’t react to email the way most of us do. They don’t react, at all. They treat email processing as they would any other task; it’s an activity to be scheduled, and to complete in as little time as possible.
While not all ultra-productive people follow the exact same system, I discovered that most had habits that reflect the following rules and instead of “checking” email constantly, they “processed” emails in a manner that I call “The 321Zero System.” Rule #1, unsubscribe from email newsletters. Rule #2, turn off all email notifications. Rule #3, think twice before you forward, cc, or bcc. Rule #4, keep emails short—really short.