Keep your inbox empty
Everything you receive should be processed. You can answer everything, pass on what needs to be passed on, sort and mark things for later so you know when to come back to them. Delete the deleteable ones. Simple as that.
4 steps to an empty inbox
- Immediate compliance with the rule "unread = pending" + "handled = archived".
- For mails that I suspect I will need to find easily in the future (invoices, bills, knowledgebase) I create labels, I label the mail after reading it and archive it without fear of "information getting lost".
- Show the mailbox in two groups "Unread" and "Everything else".
- Process unread mails using the LIFO method (I process the newest mails first).
No, you can't get rid of the "task queue"
Unless, perhaps, you have so little to do that you never have anything left at the end of the day. Or, your day has as many hours as you need, not just 24.
So make sure that a good portion of your day is not filled with Inbox Zero. It wasn't meant to be.
