4 simple solutions to clean up and clear out your inbox
TIPS & TRICKS PRODUCTIVITY
Does your inbox look like this? Endless emails? Read on…
Some people have countless unread emails in their inbox. Whenever I see that little red notification with hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of unread emails, my anxiety level goes off the charts and I usually offer to sit down and delete/organize that person’s inbox (which is usually met with a strange look). The only reason you will find unread emails in my inbox is if I need to deal with that email- something needs to get checked, I need to go back and read it later, or it needs a response. Anything else gets read, filed, or deleted pretty much immediately. Now, I know that system won’t work for everyone but here are a few tips anyone can implement to help ease their inbox-related stress!
Folders are your best friend (or tags, if you’re a Gmail user like me).
When emails come in, divide them into whatever folders make sense for you. You can even make folders inside folders. Divide your emails by categories such as ‘need to reply’, ‘read later’, or more mainstream ones like finances, marketing, projects, etc. Below are some of the folders (and folders within folders) that I use for my business accounts:
Client A (Client B, C, D, etc.)
Project A (Project B, C, D, etc.)
Finances (personal, business)
Marketing (email marketing, social media)
IT (web-hosting, design, programs, softwares)
Education (newsletters, seminars, trainings, classes)
Non-Client Communication (any communication I want to keep from anyone who isn’t a client).
For personal accounts, I recommend having a different folder for each organization, school, activity, child, finances/receipts, recipes, etc. Pretty much whatever you want. If you’re like me and like to be hyper-organized, the more folders, the merrier. But make sure you organize according to your personal preferences (not mine) otherwise, it may be hard to stick to and won’t be helpful.
2. Bulk Organize
Bulk organizing helps you file your emails into folders without having to go through them one email at a time (which can be a total pain if you have a full inbox). Just search using a keyword (usually the name of the client, project, organization, etc.) and use the “select all” tool to include all the emails that show up in the results. I usually do a quick once over to make sure that all the emails are relevant and uncheck any that snuck in by accident. Then simply put them all into the folder where they belong! You can do this to move emails into folders or to delete them.
3. Unsubscribe!
This might be the most valuable tip. You may be receiving emails from a website you visited two years ago that you no longer use. If so, UNSUBSCRIBE yourself! I add my email to a lot of lists to get those “new customer” discounts (because who doesn’t love a good discount?) so this trick has made a huge impact on my inbox and it’s super easy to do. Most emails have an unsubscribe button at the very end of the email that you can click to either edit your preferences or to unsubscribe altogether. Some services (Apple and Gmail) also have an unsubscribe button that shows up along the top of some of those pesky emails that you can simply click on and they will send an email and get you off that list!
4. Designate times to sift through your inbox
Set aside one day a month or one day a week and go through your inbox. Give yourself a limit for how many emails can sit in there at once. I try to keep my inbox under about 200 emails at a time. Sometimes you may keep emails in your inbox to reference later but they don’t necessarily need to be kept long enough to put into a folder. Maybe you keep the shipping email from an Amazon order but after it arrives, you won’t need that email. Go back and delete it because inboxes can accumulate those kinds of emails easily. I go through mine once every couple of weeks to delete the emails that I don’t need anymore and sort the ones that I do. You should also pick one folder every few weeks to sort through. There may be old emails you don’t need anymore because a project is over. Or maybe you don’t work with Client A anymore and you can archive a few emails then get rid of the rest.
Clearing out your email a little bit at a time can make such a difference in your life. You don’t have to feel stressed when you open your inbox! Doing these few tricks will not just help declutter your email account so you don’t feel weighed down by having so many emails, but it will also allow you to find what you need much faster. Also, most email hosts don’t have unlimited storage so this is a great way to ensure you don’t run out of space!