Has checking your email become a chore because of all the messages you receive?
I was already falling behind on my email before I went on vacation (and yes, we DID visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and it was delicious!!), and when I got back, a virtual avalanche awaited me. I knew I had to take action.
Most email programs have fairly decent spam filters, and if you’re not using yours this should be your first step (yours may be enabled by default). I still get a few spams in my inbox but they are fairly easy to identify and get rid of.
I’m not even really talking about spam, though. I’m talking about stuff like newsletters, non-urgent notifications, and even marketing emails from companies that I respect and whose products I value. This is stuff I signed up for, but it’s totally non-urgent, more like leisure reading. Having it pile up in my inbox obscures the truly important stuff, and contributes to a general feeling of overwhelm.
Email filters (sometimes called “rules”) are fabulous tools to deal with exactly this type of email. You create folders for specific recipients or types of email, and then set up instructions so that your email will be automatically directed to these folders instead of sitting in your inbox waiting to be read and filed.
For example, you can filter all emails from your Uncle Norman, who you love but who sends you nothing but pictures of his cats, into an “Uncle Norman” folder. You could filter this email newsletter into its own folder by looking for the phrase “Heart-Centered Technology Tips” in the subject line (this would mean other email from Your Web Coaches, like class reminders, would still make it to your inbox).
So you’re still getting the email, but you can read it when you have time, and your inbox is cleaner. Your newsletters might be sorted into a general “Newsletters” folder, or if you’re like me and get tons of great newsletters that you never have time to read, you might have a “Newsletters” folder with subfolders for each newsletter.
Here are some helpful links on setting up filters in a couple of common email clients:
- Outlook tutorial videos on YouTube
- Yahoo Mail tutorial, step-by-step on Yahoo Help
- Hotmail tutorial from the fabulous Dave Taylor
- For gmail, a detailed blog post containing multiple tips, including setting up filters, from LifeHacker
If your email program isn’t listed here, try googling “email tutorial” plus the name of your program, and then try the same search in YouTube for video tutorials.
Today’s Heart of the Matter: Take a single action — set up one email filter today. Of course you can do more, but at least commit to one. I set up a handful of filters for my email yesterday and already I’m seeing the flood in my inbox diminishing.
Until next week!
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Posted by Wendy Cholbi, your friendly neighborhood swim-goggle-wearing technology-to-English translator
