Inbox Zero For Content Creators

In 2006, productivity specialist Merlin Mann coined the term "inbox zero." It's a description for a personal email handling protocol that Mann introduced as a way for people to be less stressed about their email and feel more productive.

Now nearly 20 years later, the same concept still applies — it's just that we all seem to have 50 more "inboxes," from multiple email accounts to social media platforms to notifications from every app on your phone. Inbox zero has never been more necessary.

But it seems the concept hasn't quite reached the creative class like it has the traditional business world. So here's a brief primer on how Mann suggests implementing inbox zero, but from the lens of content creators.

The Actual Meaning Of Inbox Zero

Based on the name alone, you'd be forgiven for thinking inbox zero is all about, well, having zero emails in your inbox. But Mann told GQ in 2020 that the zero isn't a reference to your number of emails, but rather the amount of time you should have to spend thinking about your inbox. 

"The true inbox zero is the amount of your attention on your inbox when you should be doing something else,” Mann says. “I've come to think of it as more of a philosophy than a methodology. It’s about trying to put a stake in the ground with regard to your attention. It’s a way of saying, 'Some people are allowed to have some of me, some of the time. Regardless of what the world demands of me, here’s what I’m offering.'"

And that notion should resonate with content creators, who often juggle a delicate balance of their craft, their team, their fans, their clients, and potentially their other jobs. 

So if you're sitting there staring at a little red dot in the three or four figures, don't worry. Inbox zero isn't about shaming you or brutally cutting that number down by cutting ties and going on an unsubscribe spree (though there's nothing wrong with that). It's about approaching who "needs" you from a healthier standpoint. 

Key Concepts Of Inbox Zero

Mann's published an article title "Inbox Zero: Articles of Faith" to outline some key concepts in the early days of his philosophy. The article can be summarized to five key concepts that guide the whole principle. 

Remember, inbox zero is not a tutorial on how to organize your inbox (though there are plenty of resources specifically on that). It's a philosophy on how to get your head out of your plethora of inboxes and back to the things that make you feel happy and productive. 

Some messages are more equal than others

It sounds obvious, but how often do we give emails more power than they deserve? "In fact, understanding that a handful of messages in any given day are far more important and timely than all of the others combined is perhaps the most important place to start if you ever want to see your inbox fit onto one screen again," Mann says. 

Your time is priceless (and wildly limited)

If content creators take any one of Mann's articles to heart more than others, it should be this one. That's because this notion extends beyond the world of notifications and into just about everything else. It's easy for us to feel like if we don't give somebody or something the attention it's demanding in the moment, we're being selfish. But the reality is, when we're not able to give ourselves fully to any one specific thing, everybody suffers. You need to be selfish with your time. As Mann says, "Accept that your workload exceeds your resources — that you are the first and last filter for what deserves your time — and you'll already be better off than you were even two minutes ago."

Less Can Be So Much More

This is a simple concept — that if you can say what you need to in a sentence or two, do it. You're not doing yourself or anybody else any favors by writing out long-winded responses. Put succinctly, Mann says, "In an environment where attention is the economic equivalent of cash, you aren't doing people any favors by sending gothic novels."

Lose The Guilt

Like point two, this one is as motivational as it is practical. If you're feeling guilty about an unwieldy time management system that's led to all sorts of unchecked notifications and to-do's, well, stop it. "Beating yourself up about it is the worst thing you can do, since it just reinforces the core fears and anxieties that kept you from dealing with the problem in the first place," Mann says. Inbox zero isn't about feeling guilty about the past. It's about establishing a good mindset for the present. 

Lying To Yourself Doesn't Empty An Inbox

And here's a little bit of tough love — the reality that once we grasp the core concepts of inbox zero, we know what needs to be done. "Admitting you simply don't have the time to participate in a 10-times-daily email exchange with someone is difficult to admit," Mann says. "But what's the alternative? The answer is waiting in your inbox, where hundreds or perhaps thousands of messages have now accumulated because you either don't know what to do with them — or more likely won't admit what you know should be done with them."

How This Applies To Content Creators 20 Years Later

It's pretty crazy to think how prescient Mann's advice is, considering he was largely only addressing one thing: emails. Now, as content creators, we typically deal with dozens of inboxes and notifications, from traditional email to all of the different social media apps to Discord servers, fan clubs, and notifications from personal apps. 

Our worlds overfloweth with little red circles. 

This means, first and foremost, that we need to be able to segment our duties and responsibilities. If you already feel overwhelmed thinking about this concept, start simple. Maybe your emails (or texts) genuinely give you anxiety right now, and a simpler place to start is with your social media notifications. Or, perhaps you want to start with your personal notices and inboxes, starting by identifying the notifications you absolutely can't live without — safety alerts, texts from your favorites list etc.

The best place to start is with the path of least resistance. What do you look at and rely on every day? What can you genuinely not live without? Start there. 

Ok, but what does "start" mean? 

The Five Outcomes For Each Message

Inbox zero revolves around five potential actions for each "message." Or, for our purposes, notification of any type. If you want to watch Mann's 2007 presentation on these, be our guest. We'll also summarize them here so you can understand the core concepts.

Mann calls the knowledge of these verbs "weirdly comforting." 

Possibility One: Delete (Or Archive)

As soon as you read the email, determine if it's something you can delete or archive. Mann says it's "unbelievable how many emails you can delete or archive."

Possibility Two: Delegate

This is particularly true for content creators who have a bit of a team around them, or work with other partners. You can identify immediately if the email is something you can handle or if it's better handled by somebody else. In that instance, forward it to them, then delete or archive. 

Possibility Three: Respond

If it's something you can respond to in two or three minutes and two or three sentences, do it. 

Possibility Four: Defer

This is for emails that include tasks you know you can't get to immediately or require a more intricate response. Mann uses a "to respond" folder and still tries to empty it every day. 

Possibility Five: Do

If the email requires a task of you outside of simply responding to it, do it. This is something that you need to be thoughtful about and employ the previous concepts — particularly "your time is priceless." Do emails should not ultimately distract you from the most important tasks at hand. They should be balanced delicately, but ultimately still addressed.

Don't Use Your Inbox As A To-Do List

This is another major thing many of us (creators or otherwise) are guilty of. We conflate the purpose of an inbox with a to-do list. Mann implores us to have a to-do list separate from our email list. If an email comes with a task, don't hold on to that email as an indicator of the task. Add the task to your list, and then do one of the five actions listed above.

Ultimately, your inbox should be for new and unread emails. Imagine if you treated your physical mailbox like your email inbox or notifications. It would, frankly, explode with junk in a week. 

But when you start to go through your inbox with those five previous verbs in mind, you'll suddenly start to feel a lot more clear about it. There are plenty of ways to address how and when to do this, too — it works differently for everybody. Here are a few tips you can try to see if they help you:

1. Don't leave your email open — this stops you from unintentionally getting sidetracked

2. Create a set time to check your email. This could be for the first 5 minutes at the top of the hour, or it could be twice a day, or whatever you decide. But just stick to it. 

3. If you create a folder for "requires response," try to get that folder down to empty by the end of the day. And don't beat yourself up when it inevitably doesn't happen every day of the week. The key is setting the intention to do it.

4. Create a specific time to respond to social media notifications. Especially if you're in the midst of going viral etc. Don't constantly be on your phone trying to engage with everyone. Instead, create a time when you check it and a threshold for what deserves a "like," an actual response, or nothing at all. This task can also be delegated to somebody else on the team sometimes. 

5. Be brutal about deleting and archiving. None of those promo emails are urgent. Send them straight to a promo folder or delete them immediately. 

6. Unsubscribing and turning off notifications is your friend. Ultimately, there just aren't that many emails or notifications that are urgent. The more relentless you get with unsubscribing (or blocking and putting in spam if they continue even after you unsubscribe), the better. We also recommend turning off the notification badges for your social media. That way, you're not drawn to check them outside of the times you've designated for yourself.