Achieve Inbox Zero with this Simple Gmail Trick

If you’re someone who has a cluttered inbox on Gmail, you may be looking for ways to manage your email and start the year fresh. One trick is to achieve an empty inbox at the beginning of each new year. While you could simply delete all old emails and start over, there is a method for cleaning out your inbox if you use Gmail, or other services.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to achieve an empty inbox using this trick:

1. Search for every item in your inbox. If you’re using the Gmail tab view, you can search this by checking off the “select all” box in the top left that highlights everything in your Primary tab. Just below this box, click the pop-up notification that reads “Select all [number] conversations in Primary.” If you’re using the traditional, non-tab version of Gmail, click “Select all conversations that match this search.”
2. Create a new label called “Inbox 2022” (or whatever year you’re currently in). Click apply, and give it a moment to process. This will apply the same label to all emails in your inbox from the current year, regardless of other labels or whether they are read or unread.
3. Next, click on the label in your left column called “Inbox 2021” (or whatever year you just labeled), or alternatively, search for “label:inbox-2021.” Again, “Select all conversations that match this search” so you can batch edit them and save time.
4. With all of the checkboxes still selected, click the Archive icon. This will remove the emails from your inbox and archive them under the “Inbox 2021” label.
5. Your shiny new 2022 inbox should now be empty (unless you’ve received new emails since starting the process).

A few more tips for achieving an empty inbox:

• You can archive older emails as well by searching for them using specific date ranges, such as “after:2022/01/01 before:2022/12/31.”
• Use filters to automatically label or archive emails based on specific criteria, such as sender, subject, or keywords.
• Delete emails that you no longer need.

By implementing these strategies, you can achieve an empty inbox and better manage your email throughout the year. It may take some time and effort upfront, but the long-term benefits of a more organized and efficient email system will be worth it.