How do you manage an email inbox with ADHD?
Run two 15-minute passes a day with three actions only: reply in under two minutes, snooze with a date, or archive. ADHD inbox anxiety grows from re-reading the same emails without deciding anything.
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Re-reading is the real cost
Each unread email gets opened, felt, and left. Do that five times and you've spent the effort of answering it without any of the relief. The pile grows because deciding never happens.
Three allowed actions
Reply now if it takes under two minutes. Snooze it to a specific date if it needs work. Archive everything else. No fourth option — 'leave it for now' is what created the backlog.
Declare inbox bankruptcy once
Archive everything older than 30 days into a folder called 'Old inbox'. Nothing is deleted, and anything urgent will come back. Starting from zero is worth more than the guilt of the backlog.
Related questions
What about important emails I'll miss?+
Snooze anything with a real deadline to its start date. Search finds the rest.
Should I use folders?+
Two at most. Complex folder systems are a procrastination project in disguise.
What if replying feels scary?+
Send a two-line placeholder with a date. Responsiveness matters more than completeness.
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