Browser Tab: Zero

Some knowledge workers, myself included, subscribe to the idea of an empty email inbox. Inbox Zero (Inbox 0) as it were. My email inbox is a vessel for items that require attention. To be read. To be filed. To be acted upon. When the inbox is emptied, my attention is no longer required.

Each morning, I empty all inboxes. Personal and professional. Everything gets taken care of. I’ve read several folks that say you shouldn’t waste precious morning brain cells on this task. They may be right - my maximum creative time is certainly first thing in the morning.

Perhaps in 2026 I’ll process these at the days end.

I digress…

This post is to document the observation of another attention vampire: Browser tabs.

I’ve seen some truly horrific browser tab collections from co-workers. To the point where the favicons are barely recognizable. Tabs that seemingly number in the hundreds. It’s both impressive, and horrifying. It’s no wonder Chrome had to invent the idle-tab feature, effectively suspending a process to ensure the host system didn’t spiral into a full meltdown.

Chrome recently released the tab groups feature, which is a welcome addition. Unfortunately, it simply encourages Browser Tab Hoarder™ behavior.

Zim’s Browser Workflow

I’ve got a set of guidelines for where things live in my browser mental model. With bookmarks, tab groups, and ephemeral tabs - I have a map of where to quickly access items.

Bookmarks

Remember bookmarks? They’re still really handy! I like using Chrome’s bookmark bar with categories based on my high level tasks/interests. For example: - API Refernces - Finance - Zimventures side-hustles - Game Dev - Bullet Journaling links (current interest)

Tab Groups

Tab groups are used for pages that I want up and ready at a moments notice, but able to be collapsed as my day changes. Currently on my personal chrome window the groups are: - Game Dev - Google Suite (gmails, calendar, etc) - AI - Webdev

Virtual Desktop

It’s worth noting that I run multiple virtual desktops. One for personal, one for work, and one for side-hustle.

Wild, unfiltered, untamed tabs 🐎

These are the ephemeral tabs. Ones that pop up with a swift CTL-T and quickly get swept away with CTL-W. Occasionally, the hang around and collect dust. That’s where the daily Browser Tab Culling happens. Tabs are only added to tab groups if they are part of a daily workflow. For example: I recently added a new tab for writing these blog posts!

Personally, less is more. Having bookmarks, tab groups, and a process to manage them, has helped keep me focused throughout the workday.