Inbox Management

Everyone should have a process for managing their inbox (and Slack/IM/Pivotal) that is efficient, that does not interrupt “maker time” and that provides clear and actionable communication to their coworkers. This is mostly about email but expand to include Slack or other inboxes.

Habits

• Inbox Zero. (Primary: this is the exercise the forces decisions about how and why to process every type of communication.)
• No email before breakfast (Secondary: assign this if communications are a distraction.)
• Batch email (Secondary: assign this if communications are a distraction.)
• Turn off email (Secondary: assign this if communications are a distraction and the client does not need instant availability.)

Common Questions and Prompts

• How many times per day do you check email? Is this the right number?
• Are you interrupted during maker time? Can you reduce this?
• Can I see a screenshot of your inbox? May I suggest the following filters?
• Can we talk about writing effective emails? May I see the first few sentences of an email you’ve sent recently or are planning to send? (Looking for clear action items in all emails)
• Are there any emails in your inbox that can be filtered? Do you have time today to add some filters?
• Are there any emails in your inbox that can be answered in less than 30 seconds?
• Are there any emails in your inbox that require long answers? Do you have time in your schedule to answer them?

Mastery Characteristics

• Inbox is empty by the end of the day.
• Inbox is processed by category: status update, quick response, todo.
• Automated emails are filtered automatically into separate folders.
• Email is checked in batches, often just twice per day.
• Emails that require quick responses are read once and responded to immediately.
• Emails that require no response are read once and archived.
• Emails that require a longer response are categorized and then placed into a todo system (folder, reminder, or todo list).
• Email requests are written with a clear action item within the first three sentences.
• Emails are framed in a respectful way.