I have been working in a clerical capacity for twenty years and am rather good at it. The current total for messages in my inbox is three, and I will probably reduce that to zero by the end of the day. There are some, no doubt, who are now wondering, “How?!” and the purpose of this article is to equip you to do the same.

My approach is called the DURSA Method. It is not something I was taught, but rather something I developed over the years. As you probably suspect, it is an acronym. I borrowed from the name of a sixteenth century wordsmith and warrior. Those two professions may not seem related, but if you think of incoming messages like I do—as a work assignment—it should make perfect sense.

The Daily Battle

Before email existed for the average person, I worked in an office and had a three-tier paper tray on my desk. The top tray was for incoming correspondence, the second was for outgoing, and the third was reserved for long term projects that could not be processed in a single day. Other than items that arrived just before my shift ended, a “successful” day was having the two top tiers empty.

The world eventually stopped communicating through printed media, so I had to adapt. Now my paper trays are digital, and I even had to add two more in order to remain in control of the ever-increasing onslaught of work assignments.

I continue to gain daily victory, but I have noticed that some of my comrades are falling. In a recent Zoom meeting, for example, one of my co-workers shared his screen and I saw that he had over ten thousand messages in his inbox. That would keep me up at night.

The Fallen Comrade

Who knows? Maybe having that many messages in the inbox does not bother my friend in the slightest, but I think it should. Communication is essential in the maintenance of relationships. Some relationships are personal, some are professional, and some are even romantic. All are important.

In my capacity as an ecclesiastical clerk, I receive, respond to, and dispose communications. I work according to hard deadlines and, as a courtesy, I often send reminders to others so that everyone is aware of how quickly the clock truly ticks.

Most of my correspondents are ministers, which means they are men who have obtained, at bare minimum, a master’s degree. One would assume that they are fully capable of managing their time and responding to time-sensitive requests. Sadly, many are not. I hesitate to call this a character flaw, but it does need to be corrected, and that is why I am sharing my method. My goal is to help my brothers love their neighbors better by communicating with greater fidelity and efficiency.

The DURSA Method

This method is really simple enough, and once you begin using it, I think you will come to love it. No more lost emails, no more slighted clients, no more feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of notifications. Sound good? Well, here it is:

D – Delete

When it comes to the “delete” button, I have developed quite the trigger-finger over the years. Your father shares a patriotic meme, your mother sends a picture of a kitten, your friend sends a reminder of something that is already on your calendar, something is on sale this week, etc.

If you have some interest in the content, go ahead and afford it a few seconds of your attention, but if there is no obligation or request behind it, send it to the trash. It has served its purpose, and its purpose has passed.

By the way, and lest any be plagued by false guilt, the sender will never know. If mom happens to ask about the kitten, you saw it, and can simply say, “Yes, that was cute.” Using your delete button will declutter your digital world like never before.

U – Unsubscribe

This is a discipline that can yield serious dividends. Every time you buy something online, your email ends up on a distribution list. Worse, many companies sell your email address to others. In the end, you are bombarded by advertisements.

I have always hated advertisements. When our family had a TV, I would mute every commercial out of personal resentment (and also to protect my children, of course). The marketeers eventually adapted their approach and now accost my inbox.

The easiest thing to do when receiving “junk email” is to ignore or delete it, but if you invest ten seconds of time to unsubscribe, you will be removed from the distribution list. I have noticed my daily inbox messages decrease steadily through this discipline.

R – Reply

“Are you coming to the meeting?” “Do you have that report?” “Are you interested in our new initiative?” These are inquiries that deserve an answer, so answer them. It is the professional thing to do because a person needs to know (otherwise they would not have asked).

This is where the so-called “Golden Rule” may be applied to electronic communication. Jesus taught the rule, and it is usually summarized as “Treat others as you would like to be treated” (cf., Lev. 19:18, Matt. 7:12, Luke 6:31).

If you needed some information, would you not expect your colleagues to provide it in a prompt manner? Of course you would, so afford that courtesy to them. A simple “Yes” or “No” or “Let me get back to you” will suffice, so respond and delete. That is, unless you chose the “Let me get back to you” option.

S – Schedule

People are naturally hesitant to delete messages that request some action on their part because they do not want to forget about it. However, once the request is buried under a hundred other messages, that is exactly what will happen. You will forget about it.

Calendars are crucial to prioritizing and fulfilling requests that cannot be dealt with at the moment. It is a judgment call. I afford myself about two hours a day to correspondence, so here’s how I weigh it in my own mind: “Can I offer a full and satisfactory reply in the next thirty minutes?” If not, I will schedule the task, send a brief and polite reply, and delete the email.

My calendar will automatically remind me of the task and I will then complete it. The client is satisfied, my inbox is cleared, and I also have a record of when the task was completed for future reference (if needed).

A – Archive

Some tasks cannot be completed in thirty minutes. Some might take thirty days, some even three years. These are called “projects”, and they do not belong in your inbox. These items deserve a folder on your desktop, and if your desktop is already filled with folders, then you have deeper problems than email management. Sorry, but true.

I have folders on my desktop named “Drafts to Publish” and “Minutes to Approve”, which stand as visible reminders of incomplete projects. How and when I engage that material is between me and my schedule, but these projects will never be left incomplete because they went adrift upon the sea of a ten-thousand-message inbox.

Enter the Fray

I have shown you how easy it can be to process your inbox down to zero on a weekly, if not daily basis. All you need is a plan and some personal discipline.

The plan has been provided. It has worked for me over the years and even without the mnemonic—DURSA—many others have followed my general approach. It leads to liberty and peace of mind.

If you like the idea, but you are one of those people who has ten thousand messages in your inbox, you may need to take the nuclear option to begin. Spend an entire day archiving important messages dating back one year. By that, I specifically mean scheduling and archiving. Then “select all” and delete.

“What!? What about . . . ?” What about what? The thing you forgot about two years ago? The opportunity you lost because you did not respond? The great idea that died because no one replied? If you forgot about it, either everyone else also did or they moved on without you.

Set yourself free with the DURSA Method. It will revolutionize your email management. There is no book to buy, and no need to subscribe. Just re-read this article and put the system into practice. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email. I promise you will receive a timely response.

Christian M. McShaffrey is a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church serving as pastor of Five Solas Church (OPC) in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, and clerk of the Presbytery of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Ordained Servant Online, January, 2026