Do you like your mailbox and how it’s set up? Have you ever checked the settings or decided to be comfortable and go with the default settings of your mailbox? For most first-time email account holders, changing the setup may seem like something unnecessary. After all, the most important aspect would be mastering the art of sending and receiving emails.
But as time goes on and one finds themselves using an email account on a daily basis, they become a champion emailer. Well, that is if there is something like that or with a similar title. With time, you become familiar with sifting through your mailboxes, i.e. Inbox, Spam, Drafts, etc. You focus on creating the right responses as quickly and accurately as possible. You also need to be able to monitor and prioritize your messages effectively.
Managing a clean and uncluttered email inbox might prove difficult at this stage. To help yourself and find the best possible solution, consider implementing some (or, better yet, all) of the top 10 tricks in this article. These have been carefully handpicked from a long list compiled by smart professionals.
Before You Send It in an Email
Take a few minutes before you send that email and ask yourself: is it necessary to send it as an email? There is some data that is better shared online than sent as an email. This way, you minimize the number of responses coming to your email and avoid flooding the recipient’s Inbox folder.
For example, if you’re interested in sending a huge report to a colleague, you can, of course, opt to email it, but if it’s more than 25 MB, Gmail will first upload it to Google Drive and then send the link to that file. This is somewhat double work. Fortunately for you, we can show you how to efficiently share large files over the Internet.
The trick is to use FileWhopper. This is an online service that allows you to send large files and folders of any size. Professionals use and trust it because it was developed by Auslogics, a verified Microsoft partner. Using FileWhopper is a fast and safe way of transferring data. In the example given above, as you realize, there is no need to send an email.
Getting started with FileWhopper is easy. Here are the steps to follow:
- Select the file or folder that you would like to share and click on Upload.
- Once you click on Upload, the FileWhopper tool will automatically calculate the amount of data that you would like to transfer. The price you are supposed to pay depends directly on that amount.
- Click Continue to get the file or folder uploaded.
- Review the details of your order and either log in or register if you haven’t already done so. Then complete your upload.
Note that at the moment, the FileWhopper service can be used only by those on Windows. There is no support for Mac/Linux users.
Tricks to Help You Manage Your Inbox
Here are the top ten tricks that will help you to quickly and easily manage your inbox folder:
- Create a Waiting Folder that Keeps Action-Pending Emails
If you’re interested in an effective email management trick, then start by trying out this one. Instead of new emails going to the inbox folder immediately, they come through and then get directed to the so-called “waiting folder”. This is an effective way of ensuring that only those emails in the Inbox folder are responded to there and then. The rest might as well be attended to in due time after you have replied to everything in the Inbox folder for that day.
- Categorize Your Inbox
It’s almost impossible to have an empty inbox. With all subscriptions and ads, it will always have some sort of activity. The best way to manage your inbox, given that it will always have some emails, is to try and keep only those emails that require immediate attention. As soon as a new email comes through, open it and move it to a dedicated folder. For example, have the Primary, Promotions, Subscriptions, and Adverts folders. This way, you know what’s what and what is wasting your time. A categorized inbox is an organized inbox, and it makes finding emails easy and fast.
- Create Inbox Rules and Filters
Because most email providers understand the importance of having an organized mailbox, they also provide some filters that are in place to help you easily take care of your email. If you’re looking for ways to keep your inbox organized, you might want to start by understanding the services offered by your email provider. There are filters or inbox rules that you can set and have them taking action on your behalf. Using these filters, you can quickly organize emails into different color codes or folders. This is one effective way of prioritizing your emails to avoid being overwhelmed by a full Inbox folder.
- Set Labels or Create Subfolders
You should create easy-to-decode subfolders or a descriptive labelling system. Using email labels is a creative and effective way of grouping together email chains. This way, when a message comes and it’s from the same emailer, you know which label or subfolder it falls under. This is also a clever way of making sure that you don’t have thousands of individual emails from the same person – they, for the most part, become one continuous chain. You’ll be able to quickly locate a file under labels or subfolders. Obviously, it’s better to have dozens of subfolders than thousands of individual emails.
- Create Templates for Go-To Responses
One fast and effective trick for better managing an email inbox is creating and using go-to templates. If you’re a regular emailer, you will know that there are certain messages that always require the same or similar responses. To handle such emails, it’s better to create tailor-made templates. From your list of templates, you can quickly select a ready response without taking much time away from your other tasks. After all, in the professional industry, the trick is to always be precise, respectful and on time, which can be easily achieved by following this tip. Just don’t forget to keep track of such emails and make follow-ups as and when needed.
- Turn Off Email Notifications
So, you thought that email notifications were helping you, didn’t you? On the contrary, email notifications facilitate and promote procrastination. Since you can see email details on a notification, you might not see the need to respond there and then. Actually, notifications will definitely clash with the idea of setting time blocks, which will be described in trick 8. A notification tempts you to check the email inbox as soon as the sound chimes, which is certainly a distraction. You might even read the email but forget to respond to it, and doing so is a recipe for disaster.
- During Downtime, Go Through Mindless Emails
During your spare time, you can go through less important emails in your inbox. Those emails that have been labelled as ‘Unimportant’ can be checked when you are not so busy. As long as important emails are checked as soon as they come, then the rest can be taken care of at a later stage. Sync your email accounts to your phone so that you can check all inboxes when on the move or idle.
- Set Time Blocks to Check Emails
One of the best tricks to get your inbox organized is managing your time in blocks. This will not only help you minimize what’s in your inbox but also create a way of life that you can stick to. Setting a specific time block for responding to your emails each day will push you to complete all mail tasks in that one day. In the same way, it also forces you to spend your time wisely, knowing that there is a time block for everything. Each time block affects the next and thus must be respected, meaning you stick to time.
- Avoid Junk Emails
At times, your email’s Inbox folder is full not because you have actively emailing colleagues, friends, and family but because you are tolerant of spam messages. If you have organized your inbox using subfolders and labels, it will be easy to pick out spam messages. Give yourself time, each day, to open each spam message and unsubscribe in the case that you somehow signed up for that mailing list. Otherwise, they will flood your inbox with the same or similar promotional offers every day. After unsubscribing, block those email addresses from your mailing list.
- Sync Your Calendar to Easily Track Emails that Require Follow-Up
There are certain emails that require more than one response, implying some kind of follow-up. One way that can help you master your email management skills is by using your calendar to keep track of such emails. You can use the calendar to get reminders when and how they should be taken care of. This way, there’s no need to mark ‘Priority’ on over half of your emails. Just set a reminder on the calendar to know when to follow up that super-important email or check that business thread.
Bonus trick!
In addition to having email templates, you can also create an email signature and sign-off text. This way, you can even insert a response as short as ‘Noted’ and have the signature and sign-off added automatically, enabling you to actually send a complete email. Now, that’s clever.
There are a lot of tricks that can help you manage your inbox like a pro! For now, select the most applicable from our list and go with those before you learn new ones. And if you learn new tricks, be sure to share them with other emailers.
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