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Inbox zero isn’t about reading every email — it’s about processing every email: deciding what needs action, what needs a reply, and what gets archived. AI labels pre-sort your inbox before you touch it, and shortcuts let you fly through the rest.
Most Slashy users reach inbox zero in under 5 minutes per session once labels are configured and they’ve learned the core shortcuts (j, k, e, Cmd+Enter).
Inbox with importance label tabs showing unread counts

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Configure Labels First

Labels are the foundation of this workflow. If you skip this step, your inbox won’t be pre-sorted and you’ll spend more time triaging manually.
1

Open label settings

Go to Settings > Labels (Cmd+,)
2

Enable 3-5 labels

Choose labels that match your workflow: Important, Newsletter, Notifications, plus any custom ones for your role.
3

Reorder by priority

Drag labels so highest priority appears first. You’ll process them in this order.
4

Create custom labels if needed

Press n l to create role-specific labels (e.g., “Prospects” for sales, “Portfolio” for VCs).

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The 5-Minute Workflow

1

Important Tab First

Tab to your Important label. For each email:
  • r to reply (or Cmd+Enter for AI draft)
  • e to archive
  • s to star for later
  • h to snooze
  • # to trash
Process until the tab shows zero unread.
2

Cycle Through Other Labels

Tab to the next label. For low-priority labels (Newsletter, Notifications), process in bulk:
  • Shift+J repeatedly to select threads
  • e to archive the entire batch
  • s to star anything worth keeping first
3

Catch Stragglers

  • Shift+U — unread only (anything you skipped)
  • Shift+R — no-reply threads (emails awaiting your response)
  • Shift+S — starred items (review for pending action)

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Bulk Actions Reference

ActionShortcut
Select and move down/upShift+J / Shift+K
Select all visibleCmd+A
Archivee
Stars
Trash#
Labell or v
Snoozeh
Undoz or Cmd+Z

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The Daily Habit

WhenWhatTime
MorningProcess all labels5 min
AfternoonQuick pass on Important only3 min
End of dayShift+U for unread stragglers2 min

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Staying at Zero

  • Bulk Unsubscribe in Settings > Unsubscribe to reduce incoming volume
  • Block aggressively with Cmd+U
  • Trust AI labels — if newsletters are in the Newsletter tab, skim and bulk archive
  • Set up the Dropped Ball Scanner to catch forgotten replies automatically
Inbox at zero showing all caught up state

Batch Processing

Power user workflow for processing 50+ emails fast

Keyboard Shortcuts

Full shortcut reference for every view

The Slashy Method

The philosophy behind AI-first email

10 Automations

Essential automations for inbox management