We run the world and the businesses in it. But with the large hoard of too many emails in our inboxes, emails run and control us more than ever. Emails now partake in how we handle our work and our lives outside work. With half of our attention always on inboxes, we get much lesser work done as we put more time in. Hence, these DIY Email management tips, in all their facets, are what we need right now for efficient email management.
9 Effective Email Management Tips
These 9 email management tips will help you manage your emails better. These tips are also very easy to incorporate into your daily life, thus making Inbox zero gmail more achievable too.
- Delete promotional sales messages
Apart from the barrage of work emails we receive every day, we now also receive promotional emails. These emails are often by sales companies, promoting some product or service or some offer. These emails can sometimes be useful but they inhibit us from reaching Inbox zero. One of the most important email management tips is to delete these emails whenever you encounter them.
If deleting sounds too extreme, you could filter your emails to collect all these emails in a seperate folder. Thus you can pay attention to them later and manage your emails better. - Unsubscribe from newsletters you never read
We are all guilty of subscribing to newsletters and blogs that we thought were first important, but now are only a hindrance to getting your inbox to zero. All these emails eventually result in our inbox having too many emails and thus leads to lesser productivity. Unsubscribing from these blogs and newsletters can go a long way in email organization. Apart from keeping your inbox light, these email management tips also helps you clear out your mental space as you lessen your distractions. - Request removal from group messages that don’t pertain to you
At least a third of our work emails are a result of group emails. These emails might concern you but do not need your attention. Thus what began as a work PSA, soon results into a chain of emails that benefits only a few. As useful as it is to delete these chain mails entirely, it can take a long time to fully get rid of these which gives way to our next email management tips.
The only solution remaining is to make a humble request for removal from this chain. All the sender needs to do is to not mention you in the CC of an email and help in efficient email management better. - Don’t shy away from making plenty of email folders
With the number of emails increasing, so does the diversity of mail received. All these emails can be tough to go through. The best email management tool for this would be to make plenty of folders. These folders could be as wide as ‘Projects’ or as particular as ‘Project ideas’. The email software is your oyster and the folders have no limits.
These folders are only as effective as their filters. Tweaking your filters to specific keywords or senders or topics can go a long way for your email organization. - Auto set filters for certain senders
Filters help you organize and sort through too many emails to make sure you have everything you need right where you can see it. Filters can also be used to strain out the most important emails on top. These emails could be sorted according to a sender whose emails you know are urgent as great email management tips. Or these emails could be bills or certain documents you need to see ASAP. Filters will let you do exactly that. - Read and reply to emails at a set time every day
Rather than getting distracted by emails every few minutes and spending forever in your inbox, make a schedule. Set aside certain time periods to solely read your emails. This time slot could be right before lunch time, right before you wind up for the day or first thing in the morning. The choice indeed is yours.
Email management softwares like Mailman helps you do exactly that. It has a feature that allows you to set ‘delivery slots’ when you would like to receive your email. With this time slot fixed, you can dedicate the rest of your time in being more productive with this best app for email management. - Flag important messages you can’t respond to right away
Came across an email that you know is important but will take a while to respond to? Flag such emails to make sure they never lose your attention when you visit the email software again. Email softwares like Gmail have features like ‘Star’ that allows you to star messages so you don’t lose that one message in an untamed inbox.
The best email management tool would be to make a separate folder for the flagged emails too. Thus all you have to do is to approach that one folder and you will find all your urgent emails waiting for you with these email management tips! - Respond to business emails within a 24-48 hour time frame
Emails, work related or otherwise, cannot always be responded to immediately. More pressing matters tend to take their place. Or the most urgent emails take their space and the ‘not so important’ emails are left stranded. The main email management strategy that comes to the rescue is to make sure that you have a schedule set here.
Responding to your emails within 24-48 hours makes sure that you are up to date with your tasks at hand. Also ensure that you delete or atleast archive your emails once you are through with them. This helps you manage your emails better as you lead your Inbox to zero with these email management tips. - Create and share email templates
We tend to write and reply in similar email formats throughout our daily lives. An email asking for an update, thanking for an update, or something along those lines is a staple format. For such emails and more, a simple email template can go a long way. Taking out a few minutes to make these templates is one of the handiest email management tips that will definitely lead to more efficient time management.
Pick your favorite email management tips
These email management tips are some simple ways to make Inbox zero possible. Various Email management softwares and Gmail extensions can also help greatly to manage your emails. Softwares like Mailman help you assert control over your inbox and thus helps you enjoy a peaceful worklife.
To delete multiple emails at once use the Shift + CTRL keys and select the series of emails you want to delete.
If you’re using the mobile app, tap and hold a message to enter the app’s selection mode. Here, you can select the messages you want to delete.
1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Gmail app .
2. In the top left, tap Menu .
3. Tap Trash. Empty Trash now.
1. Select emails by category, sender, or subject and delete.
2. Set appropriate filters to delete by bulk.
3. Delete old emails that are redundant.
Open Gmail on your phone, select all he emails you need to delete then tap on the Trash icon.
