Inbox zero

Process email to empty daily by deciding whether to act, defer, delegate, or delete each message rather than leaving unread items as false to-do lists.

Inbox zero

Inbox zero

definition

Introduction

Why it matters

How to apply it

Keep learning

Demand generation

Build your channel strategy and optimise each channel, so you grow traffic strategically without burning budget.

Explore playbooks

Stages of awareness

Stages of awareness

Stop guessing what messages will resonate. Map the beliefs people need to hold at each stage of their journey from unaware to ready-to-buy.

Channel selection

Channel selection

Calculate volume needed, map campaigns to belief stages across channels, then test and scale winners using more/better/new whilst killing underperformers.

Ad creative testing

Ad creative testing

Structure creative testing within campaigns using message angles, formats, and hooks. Document what works per segment to compound learning over time.

Landing pages

Landing pages

Determine which segment and campaign combinations justify dedicated pages, optimise core elements, then A/B test systematically starting with highest-traffic pages.

Related books

Getting Things Done

David Allen

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Getting Things Done

Capture, clarify and review without friction. Keep projects moving with weekly reviews and clear next actions.

Digital Minimalism

Cal Newport

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Digital Minimalism

How to reduce low value tools and feeds. Practical steps to tidy notifications, choose channels and free up time for impact.

Related chapters

3

How to escape your inbox trap

Handle email like a pro so it doesn't interrupt your day. Process inbox efficiently without letting it hijack your focus and deep work time.

6

How to run weekly Firebreaks

Use a weekly Firebreak to close open loops and reset. Start next week clear and focused by clearing, reflecting, and planning systematically.

Wiki

Cold email

Reach prospects who don't know you by sending personalised outreach that offers value and starts conversations rather than pitching products immediately.

SEO

Optimise your website and content to rank prominently in organic search results, capturing traffic without ongoing advertising spend.

Maker schedule

Protect long uninterrupted blocks for deep work that requires concentration by clustering meetings and separating them from creative and analytical time.

Social selling

Build relationships and demonstrate expertise on social platforms to generate inbound interest rather than interrupting buyers with cold outreach.

Warm-up

Gradually increase sending volume from new domains to build reputation with inbox providers and avoid being marked as spam when scaling outreach quickly.

Engagement

Measure likes, comments, and shares to evaluate content resonance and algorithmic distribution on social platforms that reward interactions with reach.

Technical SEO

Fix site infrastructure issues that prevent search engines from crawling and indexing pages properly to ensure content can rank regardless of quality.

Reply rate

Measure what percentage of cold emails get responses to evaluate message quality and list targeting rather than sending more emails to poor prospects.

Cost per click (CPC)

Calculate what you pay each time someone clicks your ad to evaluate channel efficiency and determine if paid traffic costs justify the leads generated.

Click-through-rate

The percentage of impressions that result in a click to your website or landing page.

Time blocking

Schedule focused work sessions in your calendar to protect concentration and ensure important tasks don't get crowded out by meetings and interruptions.

On-page SEO

Optimise individual pages for target keywords by improving titles, headings, content, and internal links to help search engines understand topic relevance.

Cost-per-X

Master the economics of customer acquisition by tracking what you pay for each meaningful action across channels.

Backlinks

Earn links from other websites to your content to signal authority to search engines and improve rankings for target keywords over time.

Landing page

Create focused standalone pages for paid campaigns that remove distractions and guide visitors toward one specific action to improve conversion rates.

Domain reputation

Maintain a positive sending history to ensure emails reach inboxes rather than spam folders by following best practices and monitoring feedback signals.

Content pillar

Create comprehensive hub pages on core topics that link to related subtopic content to establish topical authority and improve rankings across topic clusters.

Paid social advertising

Target prospects based on demographic, firmographic, and behavioural data, interrupting their social feeds with relevant offers and content.

Impressions

The total number of times your brand appears in front of potential customers across all channels.

Email deliverability

Ensure emails reach inboxes rather than spam folders by maintaining sender reputation, authenticating properly, and following anti-spam best practices consistently.