Clear every inbox to zero at the start of the review

Empty every capture point — email, physical inbox, notes app, voicemail — before reviewing anything.

Why it works

Capture systems only reduce cognitive load if they are regularly emptied. Full inboxes are unprocessed open loops: the brain continues to track unresolved items in the background (the Zeigarnik effect), producing the low-level cognitive noise that GTD is designed to eliminate. Emptying inboxes does not mean doing everything in them; it means making a decision about each item (trash, delegate, defer, do) so the item leaves working memory and enters the system.

How to do it

1. List every inbox you use: email, physical tray, voicemail, notes app, phone camera roll, browser tabs.
2. Process each to zero: trash what’s not relevant, delegate what’s not yours, add next actions or projects for what is.
3. Processing means deciding, not doing — the goal is empty inboxes, not completed tasks.
4. Do not start reviewing projects until all inboxes are processed.

Evidence

The Zeigarnik effect provides mechanistic grounding: unresolved tasks persist in working memory and generate background mental chatter. Externalizing and clarifying the next step closes the loop cognitively, even before the task is completed. (mechanistic)

The Zeigarnik relief from externalizing (vs. completing) depends on trust in the capture system. If the system isn’t trusted to hold the item reliably, the brain won’t release it.

Common mistake

Skipping inbox clearing and going directly to reviewing existing lists — which leaves new material unprocessed while producing a false sense of system currency.