How we apply the Zero-Inbox method at Headroom

We implement a zero-inbox method for both our members’ inboxes and our EA inboxes, with the exception of certain member preferences. Taking strong ownership of these inboxes is crucial for staying informed and ahead of tasks. The zero-inbox method helps you stay organized, keeps the inboxes clear, reduces stress, increases productivity and efficiency, and contributes to better time management.

Processing inboxes AM/PM:

At Headroom, some EAs work for multiple members at the same time. Time Management & prioritization is an important part of the job. You need to properly organize which inbox you process and when. For example, the easier/quicker ones first or the larger/complex inboxes first. Some members like their inboxes processed at a certain time. We make sure that we
process the inboxes before 11:00 AM at the latest, and end of the day between 16:00-18:00 PM. Some inboxes may require another check-in in between.

Mark emails as unread:

It’s important to mark emails as unread when processing inboxes. This way, you can see which emails they still need to read. In some cases, you can configure this as an extra setting. However, you can also quickly mark an email as unread.

Archiving emails:

We never delete our members emails, we only archive them. This allows to always retrieve emails. We drag emails to the ”Done” or Archive folder.

Unsubscribe emails:

Numerous of our members are subscribed to many unnecessary newsletters. In reality, we see that 2-3 preferred newsletters are more than enough as most of these emails are not being
read. Emails that are not relevant for our member to receive in their inbox(es), can be filtered, unsubscribed and archived. Also, we critically observe if there’s someone else in the team in which it makes more sense for that person to receive certain emails.

Reading email (threads):

A good Assistant stays informed about both their members and their companies. We understand the significance of key contacts and prioritize topics effectively. We can distinguish spam emails from important emails. Thoroughly reading emails is essential: it ensures awareness of ongoing matters, member responses, and communication styles, enabling proactive action of what we can pick up as an EA and what is truly a to do for our member.

Important (key) contacts:

We are always aware of important contacts of our members. Over time, this will always change. By knowing which contacts and emails are important, you can act proactively by
prioritizing emails and requests, as well as updating our member on specific incoming emails.

We to know what we can do for you? Book a quick call with Shirley!