Practicing Inbox Zero

am a devotee of GTD: The famous Getting Things Done system for productivity. It was first popularized by David Allen. 

It's probably the only reason I've ever had a chance to care about investing money at all. Regardless of how you subscribe to GTD, the practice of inbox zero has been one of the most impactful for me.

Originally developed by Merlin Mann. It's a good Friday treat. Give it a shot this afternoon.

Simply explained (via WhatIs.com)

Inbox Zero is a rigorous approach to email management aimed at keeping the inbox empty -- or almost empty -- at all times.

Inbox Zero was developed by productivity expert Merlin Mann. According to Mann, the zero is not a reference to the number of messages in an inbox; it is "the amount of time an employee's brain is in his inbox." Mann's point is that time and attention are finite and when an inbox is confused with a "to do" list, productivity suffers.

Mann identifies five possible actions to take for each message: delete, delegate, respond, defer and do.

One additional trick is to limit your email sessions. This way you are not zeroing all day. Usually targeting 30-45 minutes a day to manage the whole load. Keep a watchful eye out for very critical messages, especially if you are in sales or recruiting.

I like to do a single session in the morning, after I have accomplished at least two tasks. I usually end my day with one more session.

It's Friday afternoon, here is a picture of my inbox:

It's actually the only reason I had the motivation to write this. Give it a shot, and then you don't have to worry about Email Debt Forgiveness Day.