Inbox clutter is one of the most common problems that we deal with as email users. Emails come in, and it’s hard to keep them all organized. The inbox is where you store everything you want to keep track of. And why do you want to keep track of something that only gets read once? To improve the effectiveness and cleanliness of your inbox. Here are some pointers for getting going:
Start with a clean inbox.
Start with a clean inbox.
The best way to keep your inbox clean and organized is to empty it completely of all messages that are not relevant to your business. This can be done by deleting any emails that have been sitting there for more than 30 days. As well as those from people who aren’t part of your team or don’t work in the industry you’re in. You should also remove any emails from vendors (such as printers) which aren’t needed anymore. But could still be useful to reference later on if needed. If anything is left over after this step. Then move it into an archival folder. So that you can easily access them again at a later time if necessary. Otherwise, just trash them right away!
Organize your folders with purpose.
Organizing your folders with purpose is the first step to keeping your inbox clean. If you’re not sure where you want the folder for a particular project or client. Try using only one folder for each type of email and then create subfolders within that main folder as needed. For example, if you have multiple clients who need different types of work done (e.g., logo design versus website maintenance), create two separate folders under “Client”. One for each type of project they require. And then place all incoming emails directly into these folders rather than opening them up in their entirety before deciding what needs attention first.
This way, when it comes time to sort through messages again at another time during the day or week. Everything will be easily accessible without having too many other items cluttering up its contents!
Schedule email time.
One of the best ways to keep your inbox clean and organized is by setting aside email time. Schedule a time in your calendar for checking email, and then stick to it. Only check your email during this designated day and time.
For example: On Monday mornings at 9 am, go through all of the emails that have accumulated while you were sleeping (or at least before 7 am). Then delete anything that doesn’t need responses or action items immediately. You can deal with them later.
On Tuesday mornings at 9 am, scan through what’s still waiting in your inboxes: Did anything come up since last week? If so, respond appropriately. Otherwise, delete those items from consideration until further notice (or set them aside for later).
This continued until Friday afternoon.
Filters can be used to send specific emails straight to the trash.
- To send specific emails straight to the trash, use filters.
- Filters can be set up to automatically delete emails from a particular sender, or to delete emails that contain certain words.
- If you want all of your emails from one person or company deleted immediately, create a filter that sets it up as an “all” rule.
Create email templates for repetitive messages and tasks.
- Create email templates for repetitive messages and tasks.
- Use the same template for each message or task, so that you don’t have to do any extra work when sending out a secure email. You’ll be more effective overall because of this, which can help you save time and energy throughout the day.
- Create a template for each type of message or task. Even if it’s only one specific kind of message (for example: “Recurring Reports”), there are probably others who need this same information at different times throughout the year (such as monthly reports).
Your inbox can be clutter-free!
You can keep your inbox clean and organized with these simple steps.
- Use folders to organize messages by type, such as “urgent,” “important,” or “out of office.”
- Schedule time in your calendar for checking email at certain times each day or week (for example, after lunch). This will help you avoid missing important messages if they don’t fit into those designated slots.
- Create filters that send certain emails directly to the trash folder instead of into your inbox where they might linger unnoticed until they’re deleted by accident!
If you’re using Gmail as a tool for managing all of your email accounts. Including work and personal. You’ll want to create different templates based on who the recipient is so that when someone sends an identical message multiple times in one day. It doesn’t clutter up all those other folders (or even worse: pile up over several weeks).
Conclusion
Start with a clean inbox for the best chance of keeping it that way. The effort is worthwhile even though it’s not always simple.
