---
title: "Inbox Zero"
description: "Keep every inbox empty twice a day so urgent items are never buried."
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/the-great-ceo-within/inbox-zero/
updated: 2026-11-03
---

# Inbox Zero

> Keep every inbox empty twice a day so urgent items are never buried.

Matt Mochary's framework, from The Great CEO Within, pp. 5 to 11.

Framework 2 of 15 from [The Great CEO Within](https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/the-great-ceo-within/index.md) by Matt Mochary. Category: Life and thinking.

## The steps

1. **Do under two minutes now.** If a message takes under two minutes to deal with, do it immediately.
2. **Write a Next Action.** If it takes longer, write the action and file the message under Next Action, Waiting For, Someday/Maybe or Reference.
3. **Repeat to zero.** Keep going until the inbox is empty, which can take under an hour even with thousands of emails.

## Where it comes from

From chapter: Chapter 1: Getting Started, pp. 5–11

## The animation

24 seconds, 4:5, no sound.

- MP4: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/the-great-ceo-within/inbox-zero.mp4
- MP4, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/the-great-ceo-within/inbox-zero-dark.mp4
- Still: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/the-great-ceo-within/inbox-zero.png
- Still, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/the-great-ceo-within/inbox-zero-dark.png