RadReads​ - [RIZE] Day 2 Challenge

Welcome to Day 2 of the RIZE Challenge!

I hope you are still riding the dopamine hit of reaching inbox zero yesterday.

Let’s take it to the next level…

What is Reach Inbox Zero Everywhere?

RIZE stands for Reach Inbox Zero Everywhere. And this email series is going to help you define all the inboxes you have everywhere. Remember: we’re talking about wayyy more than email or your task manager.

Why is it important to RIZE?

It means that you have “caught up” with everything that has been alerted to your attention.

RIZE includes every communication tool you choose to use.

You have chat channels, project manager notifications, and all sorts of other incoming tasks coming at you from all over the place. So I’m going to help you corral them up so you can be on top of “all the things” and never drop the ball.

Reaching “inbox zero” in just your email isn’t enough these days, when you may have chats, voicemail, and social media notifications to tend to as well.

There are so many inboxes in our digital workspace and it’s important to be intentional about how we engage with each of them.

When should you RIZE?

Choosing when to reach inbox zero everywhere depends on your role and your business’ expectations of customer service.

Some companies have policies that say you have to reply to customers and colleagues within 48 business hours or something else specific. Customer service professionals might be required to respond within 24 business hours.

The four main timing categories I recommend batching your inboxes into are:

• ASAP - These are inboxes that you check more than once a day and may even need to have open all the time. They include any emergency communication lines and daily workflow tools.
• Daily - These inboxes are checked only once per day. This category tends to be the largest when starting out, but you can slowly migrate some inboxes into weekly and monthly as you set clearer boundaries with yourself and others.
• Weekly - These inboxes are checked only once per week. Not everything is urgent, and this category is one that will prove that. Try experimenting with putting a few inboxes here to start learning how to set stronger boundaries.
• Monthly - These inboxes are checked only once per month.
• Spontaneously - These inboxes are totally optional, meaning there is no consequence to not checking them. Inboxes in this category could even be deleted or removed from your life completely if you want. Or you can keep them in a special folder that you look at “just for fun” when you are not trying to be productive.

For an example of what this might look like, if you are a knowledge worker or online entrepreneur, I might recommend the following inbox distribution:

• ASAP Inboxes - calendar, task manager, maybe email
• Daily Inboxes - email, social media, membership forums
• Weekly Inboxes - infrequent social media (LinkedIn), budget
• Monthly Inboxes - bookkeeping software, entertainment calendars
• Spontaneous Inboxes - TikTok, shopping websites

Today’s challenge is to brainstorm at least two inboxes that would fit into each category for your lifestyle:

Reply to this email with at least two inboxes for the following frequencies:

1. Get to inbox zero ASAP:
2. Get to inbox zero once a day:
3. Get to inbox zero once a week:
4. Get to inbox zero once a month:
5. Get to inbox zero spontaneously:

Ready, set, DONE! ✅

Marian

P.S. Tomorrow, we’re going to come up with ALL of the inboxes you want to get to inbox zero. Stay tuned!