Inbox zero

Skill SkillMedev/skills/skills/inbox-zero

Processes any email backlog to zero using the 4Ds - Delete, Delegate, Defer, Do - with a mass-archive strategy for the obvious, a touch-each-email-once discipline, and a keep-it-clear system of batched processing windows, ruthless unsubscribing, filters, and a minimal folder setup. Use when someone says "I have 5,000 unread emails", "help me get to inbox zero", "email is eating my whole day", or treats their inbox as a to-do list. Do NOT use for drafting the reply emails themselves or prioritization rules for an ongoing support queue - use email-triage instead - or for protecting focus time around the email windows - use deep-work-planner instead.From its SKILL.md

Install

npx -y skills add SkillMedev/skills --skill inbox-zero

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

One thing to look at

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SKILL.md

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Inbox Zero

Inbox Zero isn't an empty inbox for its own sake - it's a clear mind. The inbox is a processing queue, not a storage system or a to-do list. This skill clears it and keeps it clear.

The core idea

Your inbox should hold only unprocessed messages. Once you've looked at an email, it should not stay in the inbox - it gets a decision. Touch each email once.

The 4Ds

For every email, make one of four decisions immediately:

Delete (or Archive) - no action needed, no future reference. Most email is this. Be ruthless; you can always search archive later.
Delegate - someone else should own it. Forward with clear context and a deadline, then archive it from your inbox (track the handoff elsewhere if needed).
Defer - needs action but not now, or takes > 2 minutes. Move it to your task system or a "Today/This week" follow-up label, then archive. The action lives in your tasks, not your inbox.
Do - if it takes under 2 minutes, handle it right now, then archive. Deferring a 1-minute reply costs more than doing it.

Processing the backlog

Sort by sender or subject to batch similar items.
Mass-archive the obvious - newsletters, old notifications, threads already resolved. "Select all older than 30 days" is often safe to archive en masse.
Process top to bottom, applying the 4Ds to each remaining message. No skipping back.
Don't get pulled into deep work mid-processing - if a "Do" item balloons, make it a "Defer" and keep moving. Processing and doing are separate modes.

Keep it at zero

Batch your email - process in 2-3 fixed windows a day, not continuously. Turn off notifications between windows.
Unsubscribe relentlessly - every newsletter you don't read is recurring noise. Spend 10 minutes a week killing subscriptions.
Use filters/rules - auto-archive or label predictable senders (CI, receipts) so they skip the inbox.
Templates / canned responses for repeated replies.
One folder for archive - search beats foldering. Don't build elaborate folder trees.

Folder/label setup (minimal)

Inbox        -> unprocessed only
Archive      -> everything else (searchable)
Follow-up    -> waiting on someone / deferred actions (optional)

A simple daily routine

Morning window: process to zero, 4D each message.
Midday window: clear what arrived, fire off quick replies.
End of day: final pass to zero; deferred items already live in your task list.

Anti-patterns

Treating the inbox as a to-do list - it has no priority, no due dates, and others fill it.
Reading an email and leaving it unread "to deal with later" - you'll touch it 5 times.
Checking email constantly - it shatters focus; batch it.
Building 40 folders - you'll spend more time filing than searching.

What ships with it

Read from the repository

Just SKILL.md. No reference files, no scripts.