Questions you need to ask to clarify your current e-mail management system, as well as to define your new e-mail management system

1. Reviewing your CURRENT ‘E-mail Management System’
Questions for you to consider…
How much time do I usually spend on e-mails in an average day?
How frequently do I check my e-mails?
How many e-mails do I receive in an average day?
What is my average ‘response time’ for e-mails? Does it vary from person to person?
In what sequence do I check my mails (top-down, bottom-up, critical mails first etc.)
What is the e-mail ‘goal’ I want to achieve at the end of each day?

2. Clarifying your NEW E-mail Management System
Topic My system
E-Mail handling approach
In what sequence will I read my e-mails? (e.g.
top-down, hunt & peck the important ones etc.)
How will I handle each e-mail, in order to
achieve the ‘Zero Inbox’ target?
Note: Recommended to clear your
Inbox going ‘top-down’ on your e-
mails. Apply one of the five action
options: Delete, File, Delegate, Do,
or Defer, to each e-mail
E-mail Response time
What will my average e-mail response time be?
Will it vary depending on the sender of the e-
mail? (E.g. line manager)
Note: Consider how slow you can
afford to be without creating a crisis!
Frequency of checking e-mails
How frequently will I check e-mails? E.g.
continuously, once in 15 mins, once per hour
etc.
Will this vary at different points of time? E.g. do
I need to check e-mails more frequently at high
pressure times during the quarter
Decide your ‘cut-off time’ for the day for
getting to a Zero Inbox? (e.g. you are at a Zero
Inbox as long as you have cleared all e-mails
that came in until 4pm that day)
Note: Consider keeping your mails
‘offline’ when you are not reading
them, so that you are able to reduce
distractions. Also, if there are any e-
mails still in your Inbox that were
received after the cut-off time, leave
them for tomorrow!