The joys of an empty email inbox and other email organization tips

[Tradd]

I've been keeping an empty inbox on my personal Gmail account for a while. LOVE IT. It's a peaceful, uncluttered, calm thing. I've begun doing the same thing at work within the last month or two. I might keep a few messages to serve as reminders, but if more piles up in my work inbox, it makes me antsy!

I've finally begun using the little flags and reminders in MS Outlook over the past few days. It works great and keeps my work inbox clean.

I have my work email set up so that if I respond from an email in a subfolder, the response stays with the original email, rather than in my sent folder. My sent folder is totally empty, too.

After covering my desk at various times while I've been on vacation, my coworkers have asked me to help set them up so their responses stay in their subfolders. I've also helped them set up simple subfolders for automatic messages from Customs' system (when our system talks to Customs' system, we get an email). It's taken me years, but everyone finally gets that it's MUCH more efficient to sort email into appropriate subfolders when you're covering someone else's desk. You can see at a glance which folders have unread email, and you don't have to wade through a ton of emails in a jam packed inbox to find what you're supposed to be covering. It started with my email, and then spread to others. The only thing I *insisted* on when I was off was for my email to be sorted into the appropriate customer subfolders. Otherwise, when I returned from being off, even if only a day or two, I had to spend so much time cleaning up my email, it was ridiculous.

[fidgiegirl]

Awesome. I spent two hours cleaning up mine this morning, and I usually keep it pretty well under control. I should get your tips for how to do the subfolder auto-file of the response . . . we use Outlook, too.

Luckily in my new job my correspondence doesn't have legal stuff around it like correspondence about kids. So that's good, it's just what I need to keep for my own records.

[Tussiemussies]

Sounds great, what software do you use for your email?

[Tradd]

At work, it's just MS Outlook. At home, Gmail via web (aka I don't download it to Outlook, etc.).

[Tradd]

Awesome. I spent two hours cleaning up mine this morning, and I usually keep it pretty well under control. I should get your tips for how to do the subfolder auto-file of the response . . . we use Outlook, too.

Luckily in my new job my correspondence doesn't have legal stuff around it like correspondence about kids. So that's good, it's just what I need to keep for my own records.

When I'm at work on Monday, I'll have to write down the steps for doing the subfolder auto-file of responses. You do have to go a bit more into settings than you would otherwise.

[ToomuchStuff]

When I'm at work on Monday, I'll have to write down the steps for doing the subfolder auto-file of responses. You do have to go a bit more into settings than you would otherwise.


How about the web based write up as well!

[Tradd]

How about the web based write up as well!

What exactly do you need to know about the web-based email thing? :)

[Gregg]

I had probably 50 vendors, suppliers and others that I used to buy things from, but don't anymore. I was on all their lists and so received things pretty much daily from all of them. I finally went through and unsubscribed from all of them. Now I get 5 or 6 a day that I want plus personal messages. It is lovely!

[SteveinMN]

I had probably 50 vendors, suppliers and others that I used to buy things from, but don't anymore. I was on all their lists and so received things pretty much daily from all of them.
Isn't it a shame that vendors/suppliers seem to have two email settings: "firehose" and "off"? I bought one cheap reconditioned power tool several months ago and love the deal and the transaction, but I had to unsubscribe from the weekly posts because they must have thought I was outfitting a large construction outfit with tools. Ditto with the shoe place. Sorry -- don't need to hear about shoe deals twice a week ...

[Tradd]

Oh, and filters in your email to direct certain things to certain folders/subfolders - filters on Gmail, rules on Outlook. All those messages from the Customs system are filtered into the subfolder for them. Happens automatically and they bypass my inbox.

For the webmail thing, I simply access my email via Google's website. Reading it this way means I never have to worry about losing email if switching computers, syncs better with my Android phone and iPod Touch.

[Mrs-M]

Yes, yes, yes! What joy it is!

[ToomuchStuff]

Isn't it a shame that vendors/suppliers seem to have two email settings: "firehose" and "off"? I bought one cheap reconditioned power tool several months ago and love the deal and the transaction, but I had to unsubscribe from the weekly posts because they must have thought I was outfitting a large construction outfit with tools. Ditto with the shoe place. Sorry -- don't need to hear about shoe deals twice a week ...

I have two emails for this purpose. One work related, and one for all the signups/bargain alerts. I make sure to watch for automatically selected spam requests when buying something online. Sometimes I have gone as far as changing the email I used on the order, because of it.


What exactly do you need to know about the web-based email thing? :)

Is Google the only one you use, or your ISP's webmail? What ISP and filters and settings? (they do differ from company to company).


I've been exclusively webmail for at least 5 years. Before that, with the email program(s) I used, I always clicked on a setting that it saved the emails on the server when done downloading (I could still access them online from another machine).

[Tradd]

Toomuch, I only use Gmail. My ISP is AT&T. I have an email account through them, connected to my old Yahoo account, but that's just junky email stuff. I rarely look at it more than once a week or so. So all filters, etc., on my personal account are what Gmail offers. Nothing more.

[Tradd]

I'd be interested in hearing how those of you who use MS Outlook for work use the flags, colors (the little square icon in the column header in Outlook) reminders, etc., for emails you need to follow up on.

Remember, I'm she of the "clear inbox" and much prefer to keep it that way at work. I have multiple folders in my inbox - by customer, mainly, as well as ones for each person in my department, to keep things organized for when I help cover for someone when out. I've now added multiple ones under "brokerage" for my new position - that have to do with the different things I have to deal with.

Thanks!

[iris lily]

I'd be interested in hearing how those of you who use MS Outlook for work use the flags, colors (the little square icon in the column header in Outlook) reminders, etc., for emails you need to follow up on.

Remember, I'm she of the "clear inbox" and much prefer to keep it that way at work. I have multiple folders in my inbox - by customer, mainly, as well as ones for each person in my department, to keep things organized for when I help cover for someone when out. I've now added multiple ones under "brokerage" for my new position - that have to do with the different things I have to deal with.

Thanks!
I can't really help you with this because I don't do a lot of business via email. I put everything into a Save folder which is archived at regular intervals.

Now, I DO clean out that inbox every day, it is clear at the end of the day with few exceptions. So, where there are things that I MUST follow up on, I make a note on my calendar. That works because I'm adding only 5 - 10 notes to my calendar each week. If I had more email that required I do work on, I'd probably have some kind of flagging system for emails that are "in my court to move forward" or "potential problems that I'm monitoring."