{"id":16093,"date":"2021-05-23T13:07:44","date_gmt":"2021-05-23T18:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theadminbar.com\/?p=16076"},"modified":"2022-06-13T07:56:59","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T12:56:59","slug":"the-orderly-inbox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theadminbar.com\/the-orderly-inbox\/","title":{"rendered":"The Orderly Inbox"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Orderly Inbox, a.k.a. \u201cinbox zero\u201d isn\u2019t about always being caught up on all of your work\u2014that\u2019s called a \u201cfantasy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless you plan on shutting down your email account, you\u2019re going to continue to get more and more emails every day. The problem comes when all of your emails stack on top of each other with no prioritization or organization, creating a never ending, unordered list of demands on your time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This lack of organization can quickly get out of hand, and before you know it there are thousands of emails just sitting in your inbox and compounding your stress levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Orderly Inbox system is about taking control of your inbox, and implementing a process that will dramatically cut down on the clutter and give you the ability to focus your time and attention on only the messages that matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proper order and prioritization will instantly reduce your inbox-anxiety and end the overwhelm you\u2019ve felt every time you\u2019ve logged into your email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you stick with me, not only will you hit inbox zero daily, you\u2019ll save time, and, more importantly your sanity, in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounds great, right? But is this utopia even possible?  It is, and over the course of this article I\u2019m going to show you how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we\u2019ll develop an organizational system using the built in Labels inside Gmail to label every email that comes into your inbox. This will completely declutter your inbox and make it easy to know exactly where to find any email you\u2019ve ever received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next we\u2019ll create a prioritization system, using stars, so you can quickly identify emails that you determine need your attention. This will help separate the work that needs to be done in your inbox from the mindless noise that is filling it up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With organization and prioritization in place, I\u2019ll walk you through the step-by-step system on how to process your emails and clear your inbox in minutes while simultaneously creating a prioritized list of action items to maximize your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After you have everything in place, and the systems become habit, you\u2019re going to wonder how you ever managed your inbox before \u2014  and I assure you \u2014 you\u2019re never going to go back to the old way of doing things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time to stop being a slave to your inbox and make your inbox work for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labels: The Key to Organization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Labels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Labels are how you organize your emails. You can think of labels as \u201cfolders\u201d, and you can nest labels inside of other labels (creating a parent\/child relationship). The only difference from traditional folders is that you can assign multiple labels to a single email, which can come in handy in certain situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your first step will be to create your label structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with how to create labels, here’s how<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top-Level Labels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Top level labels are at the top of your hierarchy, and are more generalized. To get started, I recommend you start with a minimum of 3 top-level labels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n