The Only Five Email Folders Your Inbox Will Ever Need

Stop “organizing” your emails by subject and start thinking of them in terms of deadlines.

For years, my approach to email was like slaying a hydra. For every email I deleted, two more landed in my inbox.

Part of the problem, I knew, was the nature of my work. My team stands between two major organizations within my company, making collaboration crucial, however inefficient it was in practice. So not only did I put up with this mess, I was actually complicit in letting it worsen. I saved everything. I thought most messages addressed directly to me needed my response. I was wrong.

Looking back, I didn’t have the discipline and discernment to really manage my email habits. The system I use now isn’t a product of my own invention. My best friend works for a major consulting firm, and I was grateful when he sketched out the rough strategy…