Inbox Zero is a staple of digital productivity advice. “Achieving Inbox Zero” is the knowledge worker’s equivalent of “reaching enlightenment.” But Inbox Zero doesn’t mean having an empty inbox—it’s all about reducing the stress of email.
Why Inbox Zero Matters
Let’s deal with the second part of the question first: Why should you care what Inbox Zero is?
If you’ve got any interest in taming your inbox or more generally in being efficient and productive, Inbox Zero is something you need to know about. Inbox Zero is a Big Thing that has been around since 2006. It’s been the subject of many presentations and even books.
Searching for Inbox Zero brings back 108 million search results in Google, and it will continue to be one of the cultural touchstones for productivity for a very long time to come—even as it fades in and out of fashion. If you’ve got any interest at all in productivity, it’s worth knowing about. And hey, it might help you!
RELATED: Forget Inbox Zero: Use OHIO to Triage Your Emails Instead
What Is Inbox Zero?
Inbox Zero is a productivity philosophy about dealing with a constant, life-long stream of email. It was first expressed by Merlin Mann on his 43Folders site, which is currently (and hopefully temporarily) unavailable but is mirrored by the Internet Archive. Inbox Zero was so popular that a separate site—InboxZero.com—was created to hold Mann’s Inbox Zero articles. That site is also currently unavailable but is mirrored on archive.org as well.
There are ten articles in the Inbox Zero series, most of which deal with techniques for handling email efficiently. They’re interesting and useful, and we encourage you to read them if you haven’t before.
But the heart of Inbox Zero is not these practical tips. It’s not even about having zero emails in your inbox, despite the name.
Inbox Zero Isn’t About Having an Empty Inbox
If you assumed “Inbox Zero” meant having zero emails in your inbox, don’t worry because you’re not alone. We searched the web for “What is Inbox Zero?” and found many websites that say Inbox Zero is all about having an empty inbox.
