I’m pretty sure that "Inbox Zero" is a myth. There is always at least one, and usually dozens of threads of conversation and projects to keep track of that are in progress. With that, the importance of "frequent cycling through" can’t be overstated.

In business it’s most useful in terms of reviewing all of one’s open action items regularly — sometimes multiple times per day. Flagging and tagging are critical to keeping things organized and on one’s radar.

Whether it’s in your email inbox, Slack conversations, Jira tickets, Confluence pages, git review requests, or paper notes, frequent cycling through your flagged or starred items ensures two important things:

1. Repetition increases your familiarity with open issues. Even if you don’t have a solution right now, reviewing the problems frequently keeps them on your mind — which encourages deeper understanding and, ultimately, a path toward resolution.
2. Often we are working with others, and either you’re waiting on information or action from them, or they’re waiting on you. If the former, when was the last time you gently nudged them? If the latter, can you move the issue forward any further? Can you update them with a quick status to mitigate a disappointment?

Efficient use of and frequent cycling through your open items — wherever you capture them — keeps you on track and keeps the people you work with in the loop.