Cognitive Load

How do you feel about Inbox Zero?

Does it feel aspirational — or anxiety-inducing?

I’ve written about Inbox Zero before. I’ve shared that I believe we’ve got it all wrong. It’s not about letting this productivity “ideal” get in the way of actually doing things. We’re so focused on achieving this imaginary objective that we lose sight of the real goal: sorting messages, processing information, and figuring out next steps.

And let’s be real: Inbox Zero is impossible.

As soon as you clear that last email, a whole new batch materializes. (That’s definitely my experience!)

That’s why I’ve moved even further away from Inbox Zero and adopted a drastic approach.

I declare bankruptcy.

It sounds very dramatic, but for someone who is constantly searching for ways to lessen the cognitive load and doesn’t like processing emails, finds it draining, and — honestly — hates it, this shift feels life-changing. (There I go being dramatic again!)

So, once a month, I remove everything.

Don’t worry. I’m not suggesting you delete your emails! I use an email client called SuperHuman, which has a brilliant feature appropriately named “Get Me to Zero.” It’s a quick command: When you hit that button, it immediately moves all your emails to your archive folder.

It doesn’t delete anything. It just moves everything out of your inbox so emails aren’t piling up, adding to your cognitive load.

The tool is flexible, too: You can keep unread and starred messages in your main inbox. But everything else? It’s gone! No more clutter!

You know, I love that. 😉

But I also have a habit of just plopping things down — sometimes on my calendar or to-do list, sometimes on the floor next to my desk. And then they start to pile up, especially when I don’t have a dedicated place for them.

To control the clutter (physical and digital!) I know I can’t leave things where they get plopped. I’ve started using a technique my organizer taught me: I reorganize everything. I take everything out, look at it, recategorize it.

Last week, I shared how I’ve been quieting rooms and my mind using that technique. And this “declaring bankruptcy” process is one more way I can lessen my cognitive load. Every email, every task on my to-do list, every piece of paper gets the bankruptcy treatment.

Honestly, I’m never going to be one of those people who loves sorting and processing things. Aside from my habit of walking around the house and finding seven things to donate or recycle, I’m not good at doing these tasks regularly.

But there are tools I can use and habits I can create that help me lessen the cognitive load with intention and focus so I can dedicate brain power to the things that really matter.

I’d love to hear from you: How do you lessen your cognitive load? Hit reply and share your favorite tip with me!

– Charlene

My Latest:

• Within a year, I believe autonomous AI agents that can handle complex tasks will be available for us to use personally. In my latest livestream, I showed how some of these brand new AI agents (some are only a few weeks old!) think beyond the specific task you ask it and provide answers without a direct prompt. You can see the examples in a PowerPoint at charleneli.com/ai-agents.

• AI is wonderful…and crazy. It feels like we’re on a wild roller coaster! In Leading Disruption, I discuss where this topsy-turvy ride could be headed.

• Recessions and bank blowups: two topics dominating the news lately. I can’t help but see the opportunities to build resilience here! Because when we’re resilient, we can bounce back from shocks — even take advantage. On Tuesday, May 2 at 9 am PT, I’ll share how.

Good Things:

What I’m loving: Superhuman. As I mentioned above, I love using Superhuman (disclosure: I’m an investor in the company). It’s an email client that speeds up processing emails by pre-loading emails into your browser. There are little features like “snippets” where I can quickly paste in commonly used text (schedule with calendly, my address, saying yes/no to requests) as well as the feature above that empties my inbox (love, love, love this). It ain’t cheap ($30/month!) but I find it well worth the expense. If you’d like to try it for a month, reply to this email and I’ll get you a referral.

What I’m trying: Autonomous AI agents. AutoGPT and BabyAGI are just some of the new agents out there but they are really cumbersome to use. I’ve had good luck with Cognosys.ai and to a lesser extent, Godmode.space. Give it a try!

What I’m listening to. The Marketing AI Show. This weekly podcast provides a good summary of major happenings in the AI space while putting it into a business context, especially for marketing. On a drive last weekend, I was so absorbed in the content that I went down the wrong road for 20 minutes before noticing I was lost!

Thank you for subscribing to the Disruption Dispatch, which goes out to thousands of disruptors every other week and which always offers a short content piece to help you on your disruption journey and a curated list of Three Good Things that I’m enjoying and recommend.

Want more? Check out my weekly publication Leading Disruption on LinkedIn.