How to Set Up an Effective Email Strategy
87% of companies use email as their primary communication channel. Yet, 99% don't have a strategy for how to use it.
🤔 What is it?
This tool is a game-changer and has helped CEOs and entire companies save hundreds of hours. Despite its popularity, it’s often overlooked. This email strategy is crucial for evolving how we manage our inboxes.
You might be thinking, “Hey, we use Slack for 80% of our communication. Is this even relevant?” Actually, it might be even more important.
87% of companies use e-mail as their primary communication channel. Yet, 99% don't have a strategy for how to use it.
Fast communication apps like Slack can be huge time wasters. Email remains the primary communication tool for most businesses, both internally and externally. It's crucial, yet almost no one has a solid strategy for it.
When I first tackled this, I was surprised.
I saw amazing companies where employees were stressed out, racing to respond to emails as quickly as possible—almost like it was a competition.
It was fascinating to observe, but also damaging to the company's growth and employee well-being. After implementing a solid email strategy, many companies saw huge improvements in mental health and growth.
Complexity score (and why)
Score: 3/10
Agreeing on the need for an email strategy is easy.
The complexity score reflects the actual effort needed to implement it, which is relatively low.
The "Zero Inbox" strategy I’m focusing on is straightforward: it’s about keeping your inbox as close to zero as possible by filtering emails effectively.

6-steps for how to implement a “Zero Inbox” e-mail strategy
1️⃣ Set Up Your Email System:
Create four folders: “Action,” “Wait,” “Read,” and “Old Inbox.” You can even use emojis to make these folders stand out (studies show emojis can boost efficiency).
”✅ Action”: For emails that need more than 2 minutes of your attention. These require focus and in-depth work.
“⏰ Wait”: For emails where you’re waiting on input from others. (Pro tip: BCC yourself on emails you send to track them easily.)
“🙇 Read”: For non-urgent but important emails you need to read later.
“Old Inbox”: For all your old emails and the ones you don’t put in folders. Move them if you don’t need to take any action on them.
2️⃣ Organize Your Inbox:
The goal is to keep your inbox empty, but that doesn’t mean deleting everything. Instead, sort and prioritize.
Sort your inbox once a day, ideally at the beginning or end of your workday.
💡 Tip: Can you reply in less than 2 minutes? Do it right away.
If it takes more than 2 minutes, move it to “Read” or “Action.”
💡 Tip: Allocate 2-3 blocks of 30 minutes each day to handle “Action” emails.
3️⃣ Use Deadlines:
If you need something from someone, set a deadline. Use your task management tool (e.g., Asana) to track deadlines and follow up if needed.
4️⃣ Avoid Long Emails:
Keep emails short—no longer than 5 sentences unless it’s a larger project. For extensive details, use emails as preparatory reading for meetings.
5️⃣ Employ the SCR Framework for Writing Emails:
S - Situation: Describe the situation.
Example: “We’ve discovered an issue with...”
C - Complication: Explain the problem.
Example: “This is causing...”
R - Resolution: Propose solutions.
Example: “I suggest the following solutions…”
6️⃣ Use Bullet Points:
Keep it simple and action-oriented. Bullet points are much better than long paragraphs.
No one needs to read a novel during work time.
How do you structure your day? Hit me up in the comments! :)
Talk to you soon 👋
Casper
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