# The Inbox Isn’t Urgent. It’s Built on Trust. ## Capture now, process later – and why that still works Published [[2025-07-28]] on [Idea Waypoints](https://ideawaypoints.substack.com/p/the-inbox-isnt-urgent-its-built-on) --- In my parents’ kitchen, there’s a file folder that says, in bold, brassy letters: **do it now.** Here’s the thing: no one ever did. For as long as I can remember, that little stand has held menus, flyers, recipes, promotional notepads and all the paper scraps that don’t quite belong anywhere else. It never demanded urgency – despite the label – but it served its purpose. It was a place to corral things until we were ready to deal with them. That’s the first inbox I ever knew. And it quietly shaped how I build systems to this day. ## Why I Always Start with an Inbox The first folder in my digital setup isn’t labeled "Writing" or "Projects" or "Someday/Maybe." It’s just: *01 Inbox*. Not because I want to live in chaos or reaction mode. But because I need a place to start – one that doesn’t expect me to have it all figured out. Idea can show up unformed. Notes don’t always come with context. Tasks often arrive mid-meeting, mid-scroll, mid-life. The inbox is the one place where all of it’s allowed to land. ## Inboxes Aren’t About Productivity – They’re About Trust I first encountered the _formal_ idea of an inbox in _Getting Things Done_, and it clicked: capture now, process later. But what I’ve realized over time is that inboxes aren’t just about efficiency. They’re about **trust**. - Trust that everything has a place, even if it’s a temporary one. - Trust that I’ll return when the time is right. - Trust that I can stay focused in the moment – without losing the thread. I don’t need to sort while thinking, or organize while tired. I just need to know that it’s safe to drop something into my inbox and move on. That’s a quiet kind of confidence – and it makes everything else easier. --- **Today's question:** What type of inboxes do you have?