I've noticed that it's easier for me to get anxious when I have a backlog of tasks to do. Emails that need replies, chores that need to be tackled, and unanswered messages all linger in the back of my mind and come out of the most inopportune times, like at 2 a.m when i'm trying to get to sleep. Last year I began striving towards Inbox Zero. While it's not easy, the relief I'm seeing an empty email list has been so beneficial that I've recently expanded this goal into a more comprehensive objective - Notification Zero. Notification Zero is the state where I have no pending items in my inbox, reminders, or messaging apps. Achieving this doesn’t mean I’m idle; rather, it allows me to focus completely on the task at hand. The feeling of reaching Notification Zero is incredible, providing me with the freedom to concentrate fully on my priorities. It helps me sleep better and worry less about forgotten tasks. ## Getting to Notification Zero There’s no secret hack to getting to and staying at Notification Zero. It requires time and a commitment to the process. I struggled with this until I started allowing myself the time to focus on this. Typically, I find my notifications building up over the course of a couple of weeks. When it starts getting daunting, I'll block off a day to focus on this a few days ahead. I always prioritize tasks that aren't waiting on anything else to be completed. It's harder when tasks have moving parts or require contribution from others. Solo tasks are ideal candidates for quick elimination for my list. I start with one or two simple tasks to get into the flow. Often, tasks build up because they’re time-intensive or uncomfortable. However, as I start seeing my email list and reminders decrease, it motivates me to push through to complete everything. ## Apps that help and apps that hurt I used to love Gmail's "Snooze" feature, but I've grown to avoid it as much as possible. While Snooze can make tasks feel more manageable, it often creates a false sense of being on top of things. Ultimately, too many snoozed items can lead to doubt about whether you’re really managing your tasks effectively. Snoozing is useful when tasks require input from others, but it’s essential not to rely on it too heavily. I love tools that allow me to consolidate multiple sources together. I've recently become a big covert to Apple's built-in mail and reminders apps. They are simple apps, but their limitations force you to keep tasks visible and react to them quicker. And after years of compartmentalizing my personal and work email accounts with Gmail's online interface, Mail's unified mailbox approach has been a boon to keeping me on top of everything. Beeper is another standout tool for staying on top of things. It's an all-in-one messaging app that allows me to unify nearly all of my messages and keep track of what I have not yet answered. ## Sweet Dreams The biggest impact I've seen from this change has been on reduced stress and better sleep. Most of the time, what keeps me up at night is that feeling of being behind. It's a great feeling to be able to go to bed or sit down in front of a computer and know that you just have one thing you need to focus on today.