Inbox Zero Day – October 6, 2022, history, significance
Each year, Inbox Zero Day on October 6 gives people, especially busy professionals and executives, an opportunity to learn new ways to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the endless barrage of daily emails.
People normally have multiple email accounts and receive several emails in a day. It can be time-consuming and stressful to separate important emails from the unimportant ones. Discovering different techniques and apps can help us to navigate through the sea of emails, saving a lot of time and energy.
History of Inbox Zero Day
Starting out as an approach to managing the tons of emails that individuals and companies get, sometimes on a daily basis, the Inbox Zero system was created to empower people to take their lives back from the email monster. Using the idea that the email inbox should be kept empty most of the time, helping people to feel less stressed and be more organized.
Merlin Mann is the person who originally coined the term Inbox Zero when he started blogging about the concept in the early 2000s. This was not terribly long after the problem of overloaded inboxes began to bring stress to many businesses and individuals.
Mann is a productivity expert who suggests that people not only use the idea of inbox zero as a goal, but also consider the amount of time they are spending on each of their types of “inboxes”, which can include text messages, productivity managers like Slack, social media direct messages and more.
While the goal of Inbox Zero Day was originally designed to get all of the messages read, dealt with and into folders, that might be a slightly unrealistic goal in today’s world. Even so, the point of the day is to motivate people to consider their inboxes, create or update their organizational systems, and then get into the habit of being more organized and productive.
INBOX ZERO DAY TIMELINE
2004
Merlin Mann introduces Inbox Zero
Mann tries to minimize the time people spend cleaning their inboxes.
2007.
Mann delivers a tech talk
Mann explains the importance of managing email overload.
2014
Three entrepreneurs set up Superhuman
Conrad Irwin, Rahul Vohra, and Vivek Sodera collaborate to develop email productivity apps.
2020
Remote working becomes the norm
Remote working increases the necessity of avoiding email distractions.
INBOX ZERO DAY ACTIVITIES
Track email behavior
Every person has a unique pattern when it comes to managing their email. Some people check their inbox first thing in the morning, while others do it in the evening. For some people, checking emails is a great way to fill in the empty minutes while taking a ride, waiting for an appointment, or waiting for their meal to arrive at a restaurant. On Inbox Zero Day, learn more about your preferences.
Set up email filters
Setting up email filters can be a great way to celebrate Inbox Zero Day as it helps you to decide on a sorting system for your emails. You can do so by listing all your contacts, grouping them into personal contacts, customers, suppliers, and so on. You can even set up automatic notifications, alerts, and responses that will let you know when you have received emails from specific contacts.
Explore different apps
There are a plethora of email management apps on the market today, clamoring for your attention. Inbox Zero Day is the perfect time to discover them, compare their features and prices, and decide which one suits your work patterns and lifestyle the best. You can reach out to your business colleagues and fellow entrepreneurs, and ask them about their experiences with these apps to make a more informed decision.
5 FACTS ABOUT EMAILS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
Three million emails per second
Throughout the world, about three million emails are sent in a single second.
Probability of opening an email
Statistics suggest that most emails are opened within 24 hours of being sent.
The biggest work distraction
Almost 30% of study respondents report that emails are the biggest distractions to performing work-related tasks.
Hours spent checking email
On average, people spend up to five hours every day checking, reading, and replying to emails.
Checking emails after waking up
Almost a quarter of the population checks their email as soon as they wake up in the morning.
WHY WE LOVE INBOX ZERO DAY
It improves productivity
Given the long hours that people spend replying to emails, Inbox Zero Day is a good opportunity to maximize our productivity by managing emails more efficiently. By reducing the time we spend checking emails, other more urgent and high-priority tasks can be given the focus and attention they need. As a result, we can accomplish our goals faster.
It reduces stress
Checking emails can be an anxiety-inducing process, especially in situations where people expect to receive a response. Repeatedly checking our inbox or email alerts can distract our minds from other tasks and can affect our personal and mental well-being. Such unhealthy habits can be avoided by learning some simple email management tricks and tips on Inbox Zero Day.
It improves communication
In an era where a lot of people are working remotely and teams are dispersed across time and geographical zones, learning to manage emails efficiently can improve communication. This will help members to identify emails related to urgent projects and respond to them at the right time.
