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#040: 

Equilibrium Zero: Cut the Clutter in 

Every Area of Life  

March 31, 2014 ________________________________________________ 

 

Introduction 

 

● The 5 am Miracle - Episode #40: Equilibrium Zero: 

Cut the Clutter in Every Area of Life 

 

[Intro Song]  

● Good morning and welcome to the 40th episode of 

The 5 AM Miracle. 

● I am Jeff Sanders and this is THE podcast dedicated 

to dominating your day before breakfast. 

● My goal is to help you bounce out of bed with 

enthusiasm, create powerful lifelong habits, and 

tackle your grandest goals with extraordinary 

energy. 

 

● In this week’s episode I share how to get to zero in 

your email inbox, on your desktop, and in your 

physical work space. 

● This is a comprehensive look at living and working 

with less and less, every single day.  

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● If you find yourself overwhelmed with work and life 

all too often, stick around and learn how you can 

clean up your mental, digital, and physical spaces to 

get more clarity, focus, and simplicity. 

 

● But first, let’s begin with a look 

Behind-the-Scenes! 

 

[Fade Music Up and Out] 

 

BEHIND THE SCENES (decide the week-of) 

 

● I’ve been working too hard and my brain needed a 

break. 

● Site re-design has been considerably harder than I 

expected. 

● I recognized that when I needed to radically change 

my approach to work. 

 

● Get simple. 

● Stay simple. 

● Do less. 

● Calm down. 

● Have more patience. 

● Simplify everything. 

 

● Routines can be terrible if you did a rut 

● Dig yourself out by doing something different as soon 

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as possible 

 

● Skills I’m practicing right now include patience, 

calmness, and some serious yoga. 

● When in doubt, slow down and take a break. 

● The work will get done eventually. 

 

● Now, let’s tackle the Tip of the Week! 

 

[Opening Night Music] 

 

● Now, this week’s Tip is a great book 

recommendation for motivating yourself when 

nothing else will. 

 

● “Do the Work” by Steven Pressfield  

 

● Extremely short (I read it in a couple hours) 

● Easy read 

● Very motivating 

● very influential and great timing for me 

 

● A Few Highlights from the book 

 

● (1) “A child has no trouble believing the 

unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. 

It’s only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny 

hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.” 

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● (2) “Start before you’re ready. Don’t prepare, begin. 

Remember our enemy is not lack of preparation; it’s 

not the difficulty of the project or the state of the 

marketplace or the emptiness of our bank account.” 

 

● (3) “Test Number One: How bad do you want it? The 

only answer is “Totally Committed” and “Because I 

have no choice.” 

 

● Book is in the show notes. 

 

Now, let’s jump into this week’s feature segment. 

 

[World Music Interlude] 

 

● I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed. 

● As I mentioned in the Behind the Scenes segment, 

life can be a bit daunting at times . . . 

 

● And that’s where the concept of Equilibrium Zero 

kicks in. 

 

What is Equilibrium Zero?  

● The dictionary defines Equilibrium as: 

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○ “a state in which opposing forces or influences 

are balanced.” 

○ “a state of physical balance.” 

○ “a calm state of mind.” 

○ “a situation in which supply and demand are 

matched and prices stable.” 

○ “a state in which a process and its reverse are 

occurring at equal rates so that no overall 

change is taking place.” 

 

● The dictionary defines Zero as: 

○ “no quantity or number; naught;” 

○ a point on a scale or instrument from which a 

positive or negative quantity is reckoned. 

○ “the lowest possible amount or level; nothing at 

all.” 

 

● The concept behind Equilibrium Zero is fundamental 

to achieve clarity and focus in everything you do, 

whether at home or at work. 

 

● When you take a few minutes each day to put away 

items that aren’t needed, the ones that are 

complete, the ones that can and should wait for 

another day, you clear out your mental, digital, and 

physical space of any and all unnecessary clutter 

that can stand in your way, which ultimately 

prevents you from doing your best work. 

 

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● In short, Equilibrium Zero means creating your own 

homeostasis, your own state of complete stability. 

 

● Equilibrium Zero means ZERO. 

● Nothing. 

● Clean. 

● Clear. 

● Complete. 

 

● The reason why I emphasize zero so strongly is 

because it works every time in every chaotic, 

unorganized, and overwhelming situation. 

 

● And, as we’re about to discuss, zero applies to just 

about every area of life, especially the ones 

regarding your day-to-day tasks and major projects. 

 

● Today, I’m going to apply the concepts behind 

Equilibrium Zero to 5 major areas of life: your email 

inbox, the top of your desk, your home, your office, 

and your project management system.  

 

● Visit JeffSanders.com/zero to read all of my posts 

about Equilibrium Zero. 

 

#1: Inbox Zero  

● I’m beginning with Inbox Zero because this is likely 

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to be the one area that affects the most number of 

people. 

 

● The concept of Inbox Zero is simple: process every 

email by the end of every day. Why Zero? Because it 

guarantees 100% effectiveness. 

 

● Think of it this way, if you wanted a surefire system 

that you could trust and believe in, you would likely 

expect the system to be leak proof. 

 

● In other words, you would want your trusted system 

to address every issue, without forgetting even a 

single detail. 

 

● That is what Inbox Zero promises. No leaks. Nothing 

forgotten. Nothing overlooked. 

 

● Does it deliver? Yes. Zero means zero. 

 

Integrity and Communication 

 

● On a highly related note, I take communication very 

seriously. 

 

● From experience I can tell you that when you 

respond to someone quickly, you are sending a 

subtle message to that person that you respect 

them, that you value their time, and that they are 

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important to you. 

● Likewise, when you ignore and email, or forget 

about it, or simply wait days or weeks to respond, 

you are also sending a very LOUD signal that you 

don’t value the person who contacted you. 

 

● It is my policy to respond to every single email I 

receive within 24 hours. 

 

● The only exceptions apply when I am physically 

unable to access the Internet, like when traveling 

internationally and you’re stranded on a beach in 

the jungle of Costa Rica that can only be reached by 

boat. 

 

● Other than that, I prioritize email, not because 

email is important, but because people are 

important.  

 

BIG Numbers 

 

● Look, I get it, big numbers are scary 

● I often meet people who have hundreds, even 

thousands of emails in their inbox! 

 

● Why does this happen? 

 

● Three reasons: 

1.There is no system. 

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2.There is no strong reason to create a system. 

3.There is no follow-through. 

 

● When your inbox peaks at over 100 emails, it’s really 

hard to care anymore. 

 

● The number is too big. 

 

● It’s intimidating to try to reply to hundreds of 

messages. 

 

● If you want to destroy your severely inflated inbox, 

you need an email overhaul. 

 

The Inbox Zero Process  

(1) Delete every email you possibly can. 

 

● This includes spam, junk mail, advertisements, 

messages that don’t warrant a response, and any 

other irrelevant message. 

 

(2) Unsubscribe to every newsletter you 

don’t actually read. 

 

● Legitimate newsletters have “unsubscribe” options. 

Most spam emails do not. 

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● Make it your daily practice to unsubscribe every 

time. 

 

● This will seriously reduce the number of emails you 

receive. 

 

● The alternative to unsubscribing is to make a plan to 

read the newsletters, even if that happens 

somewhere outside of your email inbox. 

 

(3) Archive important messages that 

don’t require a response, but that you 

need to keep. 

 

● This could include financial statements, receipts, 

contracts, information about a project that isn’t 

important for a few weeks, or other messages you 

just can’t bear to part with. 

 

● Over the years I have had as many as 100 folders 

that organized and stored messages I assumed I 

would need.  

 

● It has become abundantly clear that I don’t need 

99.9% of the emails I keep. 

 

● Be sparing on your archiving. 

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● You want to get in the habit of deleting everything.  

(4) Reply to the remaining messages 

 

● At this point there should only be a handful of emails 

left in your inbox.  

 

● It’s likely these are conversations that require your 

response and it is imperative that you respond 

TODAY. 

 

● After responding, delete or archive the email. 

 

Zero Every Day 

 

● The goal is to get to zero every single day, even on 

weekends. 

● You never want your email to get so backed up that 

it would take a week’s vacation to clear the mess. 

● Stay on top of your communication and make this 

process a priority. 

 

 

#2: Desktop Zero  

● The concept behind Desktop Zero is no different 

than Inbox Zero: at the end of every day, clear your 

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physical desk of all the clutter, junk, paperwork, 

and supplies that belong somewhere else. 

 

Here are the basics on how to master 

desktop zero: 

 

(1) Dump the Trash 

 

● The first step is always to locate the most useless 

material and dispose of it. 

 

● Recycle all of the processed paperwork and throw 

away food and other trash items. 

 

(2) Remove All Unneeded Items 

 

● place empty coffee mugs in the dishwasher 

● put all pens and paperclips in the desk drawers 

● remove any other random things that you want to 

keep 

● . . . . . just not directly on top of your work space. 

 

(3) Move Critical Work Components to 

Another Space 

 

● Depending on the kind of work you do, you may have 

quite a bit of physical paperwork or other materials 

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needed for a current project. 

 

● But — none of that stuff should remain on your desk 

at the end each workday. 

 

● Everything needs a place to call home: a desk 

drawer, file cabinet, book shelf, etc. 

 

(4) Cleanly and Simplistically Organize 

the Remaining Items 

 

● At this point there should be very only a handful of 

critical items remaining on your desk: computer 

and/or monitor, keyboard, and mouse. 

 

● Desktop Zero is not as comprehensive as Inbox Zero, 

meaning that you will have a few items left on the 

desk. 

 

● After all, I don’t expect you to file away your 

desktop computer every night! 

 

(5) Take a Picture 

 

● Once you establish the few critical items that should 

stay on your desk, this setup becomes your 

equilibrium or default settings. 

 

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● Take a picture and remember exactly what this looks 

like. 

 

● Repeat the Desktop Zero process every single day 

(even weekends at home) and ensure that you 

always get back to your clean desk. 

 

#3 and #4: Home Base Zero  

● Just like Inbox Zero and Desktop Zero, Home Base 

Zero is the process of putting away ALL extraneous 

items in your home and office each night. 

 

● Your Home Base is the place where you spend 99% of 

your time. 

 

● It’s likely you have a home base in your house and 

another at work. These principles apply equally to 

both. 

 

Now, let’s break down exactly what this 

looks like: 

 

(1) Trash Everything 

 

● Nothing stands in the way more than junk that 

should be recycled or thrown away. 

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● This is always the first step. 

 

(2) Put Known Items Away 

 

● Anything that you know is “out of place” should be 

put back in its place. 

 

● For example, dirty clothes belong in the hamper, 

cleaning supplies go back in the closet, and books 

back on the bookshelf. 

 

(3) Identify a Place for New Stuff 

 

● Not everything has an obvious place to go. 

 

● This is your chance to assign a “home” for new 

items. 

 

● Anything that has been sitting around and obviously 

needs to be put somewhere else, should 

intentionally be put in its most intelligent 

permanent location. 

 

(4) Freeze This Moment 

 

● At this point everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) should be put away in its place 

 

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● Nothing will be on the floor, or on your kitchen 

table, or under the couch, unless it belongs there.  

 

● Just like your email inbox being empty, or your desk 

being clean, your home base needs a spotless 

moment in time. 

 

● Ideally, you will reach this point every day — but no 

less than once a week. 

 

● Alternatively, you could build this process into your 

weekly review.  

#5: Project Management 

Zero  

● Project Management Zero is getting to zero 

current tasks left in a project before beginning the 

next task or project. 

 

● Likewise, it means working on one task at a time and 

finishing what you’ve started. 

 

● In terms of productivity, task management and 

project management are nearly synonymous because 

a project is nothing more than a series of related 

tasks. 

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Here are a few guidelines to make 

Project Management Zero work for you: 

 

(1) Never commit to more than 2-3 major 

projects at a time. 

 

● Ideally (and for the sake of simplicity) you would 

only work on one project at a time. 

 

● However, I recommend having 2-3 for a couple of 

reasons. 

 

● First, it’s highly likely that one project will be at a 

stand still until something has to happen that is out 

of your control. 

 

● Secondly, if you’re getting burned out on one 

project, you can easily switch to something 

different. 

 

(2) Finish the current task 100% before 

moving on to the next. 

 

● The tendency for most of us is to get distracted, or 

excited about an upcoming task. 

 

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● We often find ourselves starting many things, but 

finishing nothing. 

 

● Make it your priority to completely finish what 

you’re working on before you make any moves 

towards your future goals. 

 

● Create a “someday/maybe” list for all those great 

future ideas. 

 

(3) Work in focused, uninterrupted 

blocks of time. 

 

● The surefire way to get anything done in the most 

effective manner is to give it 100% of your attention.  

 

● In order to complete every task in your current 

project, it’s best to give all of your energy and focus 

to the most important task. 

 

● Once finished, move on to the next one. 

 

(4) Get to zero must-do tasks every day. 

 

● Over the last few months I have found it to be 

incredibly beneficial to separate my must-do tasks 

from everything else. 

 

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● When you create your daily task list, prioritize it 

with the most important tasks from your current 

project and don’t end your work day until those 

must-dos are done. 

 

(5) Follow the Desktop Zero guidelines at 

the end of the day.  

● First, your work day should have a strict time 

boundary to keep you focused. 

 

● Secondly, 30 minutes before your workday ends, put 

everything away in it’s place. 

 

● This includes physical stuff on your desk, as well as 

virtual files on your computer’s desktop. 

 

● Everything belongs somewhere — and that should 

be out of sight unless you’re working on it right 

now.  

 

The Daily Zero  

● If you’re currently juggling a dozen projects, put 

some down. 

 

● Just stop. 

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● Let them go. 

 

● Sometimes the best way to clean up your calendar is 

to delete, trash, scrap, and set free all of the good 

ideas in order to get to the great ones. 

 

● I challenge you to get to zero every day, in every 

area of your life. 

 

● As soon as you figure out how to do it once, 

repeating the system is simple, effective, and always 

gratifying. 

 

 

[Fade In Music]  

Announcements 

 

● Just 3 quick announcements here at the end of 

this episode. 

 

● First, if you’re looking to significantly boost your 

productivity, I think you would love The 5 AM 

Blueprint. 

● The 5 AM Blueprint is an affordable way to get 

direct, customized feedback from me to create an 

effective schedule for your ideal day. 

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● And you can learn much more about it at 

5amBlueprint.com.  

● My 2nd announcement, if you have not yet joined 

The 5 am Club, you can easily do so today for free. 

● When you join the club you will get a free copy of 

The 5 AM Miracle eBook, which shows you exactly 

how to wake up each morning with vigor and make 

enormous progress on your biggest goals. 

● To join The 5 AM Club AND jump start your morning - 

visit 5amMiracle.com.  

● My final announcement is that for my next podcast 

episode I will be discussing the work hard, play hard 

formula. ● Specifically, I’ll show you how to do better work AND 

have more fun. 

 

Final Thoughts 

 

● As always, I would be grateful if you would rate my 

podcast in iTunes. 

● That helps tremendously with keeping my podcast 

visible so that people who have never heard of it can 

discover it. 

● I created a quick 2-minute video that shows you how 

to rate and review any podcast, which you can 

watch at JeffSanders.com/review 

● Or, just head on over to JeffSanders.com/itunes to 

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leave your review right now. 

 

● Also, if you would like to see all of the resources I 

mentioned in this show, please visit the show notes 

page at JeffSanders.com/40, as in Episode 40. 

 

● Well, that's it for this episode of The 5 AM Miracle. 

● Until next time remember, you have the power to 

change your life, and the fun begins bright and 

early. 

 

[Fade Out Music]