Back in 2012, I had allowed my inbox to become a scary unmanageable mess with over 60k messages in my inbox alone, not including my overly complicated archival folder structure. My Outlook inbox had become a significant distraction to me (You know, a massive list of guilt-inducing anxiety-laden reminders of things unfinished and forgotten), that I set out to find or create a methodology to get it and keep it under control. It was during this quest that I discovered David Allen’s Getting Things Done®, aka “GTD.”

It was GTD’s promise of “Stress-Free Productivity” that caught my attention, but it was the “Mind Like Water” metaphor that has become a signpost of success for me in my struggle to be a better me. Having a “Mind Like Water” is “A mental and emotional state in which your head is clear, able to create and respond freely, unencumbered with distractions and split focus.” (Allen, 2012)

GTD is much more than a system for managing one’s email inbox. However, it is not my intent to sell you on GTD, and the good news is you can begin to see immediate results using the workflow and process outlined herein without being a student or practitioner of GTD.

The process described below allows me to keep my inbox at or near empty each day. Sometimes when things are hectic, it may grow on me, and I may not keep it at zero every day, but I’m usually able to get it back to zero within the week.

Figure 1 is a screenshot of my real-life Outlook inbox at the moment I began writing this blog article.

Before we dive into the details, let’s look at the basic workflow I use. Figure 2 shows the basic GTD workflow for how to deal with all the stuff that comes at us all day every day and is the workflow I use to manage my Outlook inbox.

Tame Your Inbox: The Process

STEP 1: Come to Terms with Reality, and Schedule Your Initial Inbox Clean up

Your inbox isn’t going to process itself magically. Just like all the other things vying for our attention to be acted upon, a lot of us have this fantasy that “I’ll have time to clean this up once <Fill-in-the-blank> is completed.” The hard truth is you will never find that time where your schedule will miraculously open up, and you find yourself with an empty inbox. This mythical free time does not and will not exist until you make it happen. In other words, using the same habits and thought processes (i.e., excuses) that got you into your current inbox mayhem will not get you out of the situation.

The good news is that once you invest the initial time to get your inbox under control, you will find it far easier to keep up with your inbox as email arrives each day instead of putting them off for the future. Moreover, you may find your way to experiencing a Mind Like Water.

Once you have come to terms with your inbox reality, schedule an appropriate amount of time to get your inbox to zero using the process below.

STEP 2: Turn off the distractions of your inbox.

From this day forward, you rule your inbox; it does not rule you. Correct? So, turn off all new-email alerts and schedule an appropriate number of inbox check-ins throughout your day. I usually start my day off in my inbox and then recheck it later in the morning and a couple of times in the afternoon. You may want to make these check-ins a scheduled item in your calendar, or just something you do when you finish a period of focused work. Either way, don’t let an email alert distract you from your vital focused work.

Disable New-Email Alerts in Outlook

1. In Outlook click on File -> Options
2. Select Mail on the left-hand side of the Outlook Options
3. Locate the Message arrival section and clear the check from all checked boxes.
4. Click OK.

STEP 3: Create a Simplified Filing System for Your Email

With the advances in search capabilities within Microsoft Outlook, the need for complex hierarchical email filing structures is outdated and unnecessary.

Figure 4 – Simplified Filing System

When I simplified my folder structure for emails, I used the GTD lists concept and created the following simplified folder structure: 

• @ACTIONS: This folder serves as my “To Do” or “next actions” list. Emails in this folder require some action from me.
• @DEFERRED: This folder holds emails that I choose to defer beyond my daily and weekly inbox processing routine.
• @READ-REVIEW: I use this folder to store items that I want to read when I have time. These emails would contain articles that might educate me or enlighten me but are not actionable or vital for me to know for the execution of my responsibilities. If the email includes something that I need to read, it goes in my @ACTIONS folder.

• @WAITING FOR: I use this folder as a tickler to remind me of things that I have delegated and need to follow up on later. I populate this folder by Bcc’ing myself on the email I send requesting action from someone else. I have a rule setup that moves the received email to the @WAITING FOR folder without any further action. I show how to set up this rule later in this article.
• _REFERENCE: I store all email that I wish to keep for reference purposes in this folder. Yes, one reference folder to rule them all. I used to have an exhaustive hierarchical folder structure for organizing my reference emails. What I found was this highly structured storage design demotivated me from keeping my inbox cleaned out. Furthermore, it didn’t make finding what I was looking for more efficient either. Since I moved to a single reference folder, I can see everything I need very quickly by using Outlook’s Instant Search and Advanced Search functions.

STEP 4: Set Up Rules and Quick Steps to Help Automate Your Inbox Processing
I have created a single Outlook rule and five Quick Steps to help me process my inbox.

For step-by-step instructions to create a new Quick Step see this article.

For step-by-step instruction to create a new Outlook Rule see this article.

Create Outlook Rule for @WAITING FOR

To save time and steps for storing emails that I have sent requesting actions from someone else, I created an Outlook rule that:

• Applies the rule after the message arrives from me.
• Moves the email to the @WAITING FOR folder.
• Except if my name is in the To or Cc box – (I am utilizing the Bcc box to send the email to myself).
• Stop processing more rules.

Create Quick Steps for Moving Emails to List Folders

I created Quick Steps for each of my list folders. (See STEP 3: Create a Simplified Filing System for Your Email above) Each Quick Step is set up to:

1. Move the selected email(s) to the folder having the same name.
2. Mark the email as unread – (Except for the “_REFERENCE” Quick Step. Marking the email as unread allows me to see all the emails I haven’t yet acted upon within each folder. (For an example, see Figure 4 – Simplified Filing System.)

The following screenshots show each Quick Step’s configuration. You will notice that I have configured shortcut keys for the ones I use most often.

Once you have created your Quick Steps, your Outlook Home Ribbon tab should have a Quick Steps section that looks like:

STEP 5: Process Your Inbox

At this point, you’ve decided to get your inbox under control, and have the necessary foundational items created and configured to help you get and keep your inbox under control. Now it’s time to put the process in place and make it a habit!

The first time you go through this process (e.g., the time you scheduled in STEP 1), you will want to make sure you have blocked off enough to process your entire inbox.

1. At your predetermined time, open your inbox and begin reviewing each email. One email at a time from top to bottom
2. For each email:
   1. DELETE: Be okay with deleting unnecessary emails. Be honest with yourself and ask the following questions:
      1. Is this email junk, trash, useless, unneeded, or unnecessary? If yes, delete it. Don’t hesitate, just delete it. If you like using keyboard shortcuts, you may find the following handy:
         1. Ctrl + d: This key combination will delete the selected email(s) by moving them to the Deleted Items folder.
         2. Ctrl + Shift + d: This key combination will permanently delete the selected email(s) from your mailbox. WARNING: Permanently deleting emails makes them unrecoverable. I recommend that you only permanently delete spam, known junk, and phishing emails.
      2. If the email is not junk and is not actionable, do I really need to store it for reference purposes? If yes, make yourself answer the follow-up question: “Why?” If you can’t quickly identify a reasonable answer to “Why would I need to reference this email?” delete it.
   2. DO: Is the email actionable? If yes, I find the two-minute GTD rule to work very well. Ask yourself “can I respond to or perform the necessary action asked of me in this email in two minutes or less?”
      1. If the answer to this question is “Yes,” then do it. It will take you longer than two minutes to file the email and reread it later than to act now. Just do it!
      2. If your answer is “No,” defer it by moving it to one of your simple list folders. For example:
         1. @ACTIONS
         2. @READ-REVIEW
         3. @DEFERRED
      3. DELEGATE: If someone else needs to take action, delegate it to them. Do this delegation now if you can do it in two minutes or less. Be sure to Bcc yourself so that a copy of your delegation is saved in your @WAITING FOR folder so you will be reminded to follow up later.
      4. If the email is not actionable, but you want or need to retain the email for reference, move it to your _REFERENCE folder.
   3. Relax because your inbox is now at or near zero, and all the actionable emails are done, in your @ACTIONS list, or otherwise filed in a way that keeps them from getting lost or forgotten.

Once you have got your inbox to zero the first time, you simply use this same process each time you check your inbox, and you will keep your inbox at or near zero.

Next Steps

Can you imagine the clarity and freedom you will have when you take control of your inbox? Schedule some time this week to set up Outlook and process your inbox to zero. Make the time and invest in your peace of mind. Silence the nagging guilt-ridden voice in the back of your head saying you have forgotten something.

I can attest that the system described above really works IF you work the system. Just like any good habit that you develop (e.g., eating well, exercising, and so forth), there are no secret or magical formulas for controlling your inbox, just some simple steps backed up by your determination:

• Accept that you will never have the “extra time” to get your inbox cleaned up, so make the time.
• Tell your inbox to shut up! (i.e., turn off Outlook alerts).
• Get your Outlook rules and Quick Steps set up.
• Get your current inbox to zero.
• Keep your current inbox at zero every day by scheduling periodic times to process your inbox.
• Schedule at least weekly time to process your new To Do lists, (the @ACTIONS, @DEFERRED, @READ-REVIEW, @WAITING FOR folders).

Now, focus on how good it will feel to be in control of your inbox, set a goal, schedule your next actions, and go conquer your inbox!

Additional Resources

If you would like to learn more about rules and searching in Outlook, you may find the following resources helpful.

• Find a Message or Item with Instant Search
• Search and Filter Messages in Outlook
• Learn to Narrow Your Search Criteria for Better Searches in Outlook
• eBook: Outlook 2016 Tips & Tricks
• Outlook Rules
• Outlook Instant Search Query Commands Reference