Tips for Managing E-mail
There are three main actions you can take to create a better e-mail experience:
- File
- Filter
- Delete
File
Keeping your in-box uncluttered will free you from wading through old e-mails every day. Creating storage folders is a great way to do this. Remember the manila folders you used to have in your file cabinet? It’s the same idea. Using folders allows you to file your messages in an organized way and to retrieve them easily later.
Think about the types of e-mail you receive on a regular basis, and then create a folder for each one; you can also create subcategories as well. For example, you might have a folder called "Volunteers" with subfolders "Senior Companions" and "Foster Grandparents."
Examples of folder names pertaining to a service program include:
- Administrative
- Community Outreach
- Grant Management
- Resources and References
- E-mail Discussion Lists
- Potential Spam
- Personal
If you need assistance setting up folders, try searching the Help function of your e-mail program (or mailer) for "how to create folders" or "using mailboxes."
Filters
By following rules that you set — such as who the e-mail is from, who it is being sent to, words in the subject line, and other criteria — mailers will automatically create filters so that incoming e-mail is delivered to appropriate folders.
For example, you can create a filter for all e-mail from your favorite e-mail discussion list; then you can read the contents of that folder at your leisure. Or you could create a filter to catch potential junk e-mail (or spam). You might create a rule that puts all e-mail that is not addressed to you in a folder called "Potential Spam." (This strategy works because most spammers put your address in the "Blind" field, not in the "To" field.) You will still need to scan your "Potential Spam" folder for legitimate e-mail, but the bulk of spam e-mails will be detected this way.
Some mailers apply filters sequentially, so set up your e-mail discussion list filters before you set up your "Potential Spam" filter.
Check for New Mail — and Delete!
On a daily basis, you'll need to check for unread mail in your folders. Your mailer will indicate this to you — usually the folder or mailbox will be bold or underlined, or it will display the number of unread items next to the folder name.
Once you've created folders and filters to organize your e-mail, your in-box will be much less cluttered. Remember: Your in-box should only be for storing mail that hasn’t been read yet.
- As you read each new e-mail, try to respond right away. Leave an e-mail in your in-box only if you can't respond until later.
- After you've responded, decide whether or not you need to keep the original e-mail. If so, file it in the appropriate folder; if not, simply delete it.
Keep in mind that mailers usually save all “Sent items” in a folder by that name; this means you automatically have a copy of every e-mail you have sent, so you might feel more comfortable deleting some messages.
If your mailer is constantly notifying you that you have new mail and you can't seem to resist reading it, you might consider turning the notification feature off and restricting your e-mail reading to once or twice a day
Additional Resources
See the website, Inbox Zero, the original "43 Folders" series. These are posts from a special 43 Folders series that look at the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your e-mail in-box — and then keep it that way. The full 1-hour video for Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero presentation is also available, as are slides from the presentation given at Google and other San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits.
