For most of us, Inbox Zero is a myth—a dragon not worth chasing.

I gave up on it a long time ago. Why?
Because it’s a Hydra: the more emails you send, the more come back. Cut off one thread, and three more take its place.

The more you engage, the more gets added to your plate. And honestly? If something's truly urgent or important, it'll come back. People will follow up. There will be a reminder. You don’t need to catch everything in the moment.

You will never fully "conquer" your inbox.
And trying to? That’s the hamster wheel.

Sure, use your systems. Superhuman is great at filtering what matters. Gmail can be set up to do the same. But don’t lose your day building elaborate filters to catch digital lint.

Follow the Pareto Principle — 80% of your outcomes come from 20% of your effort. That’s where your focus should be:
On the essential.

I used to obsess over inbox zero. I love a clean workspace. I like mise en place.
But eventually I realized: this wasn’t a one-time clean-up. It was a recurring spiral. Inbox chaos is constant. Organize it today, it’s full again tomorrow.

So now? I leave my inbox in the hundreds. I scan for what’s critical. I let go of the rest.

Ask yourself:
Are you spending your time organizing a cabinet you could just close?