StretchLearn Course

Get to Inbox Zero — and stay there in 30 minutes a day

Stop living in your inbox. Build filters and rules that sort mail for you, reply templates that kill repeat typing, a two-or-three-batch daily rhythm, and AI triage in Gmail and Outlook that does the first pass for you.

Preview Curriculum Back to Catalog

Beginner9 hr 20 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course teaches busy professionals to control email instead of being controlled by it, using the tools already in Gmail and Outlook plus a light layer of AI, with no technical setup beyond settings menus. You will declare email bankruptcy on a backlog the safe way, route incoming mail with filters and rules, process to empty using the five actions of Inbox Zero (delete, delegate, respond, defer, do), write reply templates and canned responses, and time-box email into two or three daily batches. Every lesson ends with a concrete build step and a worked example you can copy into your own account.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Distinguish the five core actions of Inbox Zero and apply the two-minute rule to decide between do-now and defer

Clear a large backlog safely by declaring email bankruptcy with an archive-and-search-fallback approach

Build Gmail filters and Outlook rules that label, archive, and route incoming mail before you ever see it

Write a reusable library of reply templates using Gmail Templates and Outlook Quick Parts to cut repeated typing

Time-box email into two or three fixed daily batches and turn off the notifications that break focus

Use Gmail Gemini and Outlook Copilot to summarize threads, draft replies, and triage low-value mail

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: The Inbox Zero Mindset and a Clean Start

Understand what Inbox Zero actually means, why your inbox is not a to-do list, and how to clear a large backlog without losing anything. You leave the module with an empty or near-empty inbox and the five-action model in hand.

3 lessons

What Inbox Zero Really MeansContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Declaring Email Bankruptcy SafelyContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Setting Your Inbox Zero Definition and ScheduleContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Filters, Labels, and Rules That Sort Mail for You

Stop sorting mail by hand. Build Gmail filters and Outlook rules that label, archive, and route messages before they reach your eyes, so your inbox only contains things that need a decision.

3 lessons

Designing a Label and Folder SystemContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Building Gmail Filters That Pre-Sort MailContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Building Outlook Rules and Focused InboxContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Processing Fast: Templates and the Two-Minute Rule

Turn a filtered inbox into an empty one quickly. Apply the two-minute rule, keep replies short, and build a template library so repeated messages take seconds instead of minutes.

3 lessons

The Two-Minute Rule and Processing OrderContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Building a Reply Template LibraryContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Reducing the Volume You ReceiveContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: AI Triage and Keeping the System Alive

Add a light AI layer to summarize, draft, and triage mail using built-in Gmail and Outlook tools, then put in place the weekly habits that keep the whole system from drifting back to chaos.

3 lessons

AI Triage with Gemini and CopilotContent · 50 min

LMS Access

The Weekly Review and Maintenance HabitsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Your Personal Email Operating ManualContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

Inbox Zeroemail managementGmailOutlookproductivitytime managementemail filtersGTD