Maybe you are one of those people who don’t like to clean up their mailboxes. Mostly this also transfers to the virtual order. How does it look for example with your email inbox? Probably you think now: Why should I clean up my email inbox?? This is not so bad for my emails, no one can see them and I might need them again. Of course, no one has ever stumbled upon a mountain of emails, but on the one hand it saves you a lot of time if you don’t have to scroll through three pages for each mail and on the other hand it makes you happier.
Because even if what you are picking up only exists virtually, your subconscious remembers that there is still something unfinished “lying around” and all the unanswered emails unconsciously attach themselves to your mind. Therefore, here are three small tips on how to clean up and organize your email inbox.
Tip 1 – Avoid spam
Surely you have already experienced how annoying it is to receive more spam than normal emails. Perhaps you have already given up trying to fight the flood of advertising and have resigned yourself to the fact that you have to pick out your messages from among the advertising e-mails. But this does not have to be the case.
Here are a few hints:
Step 1 – Choosing the right account
The first step to an ad-free email inbox is to choose the right account provider. Some email sites already have the reputation as spam mailers. Therefore inform yourself well beforehand. There are also good, free providers who do not bombard their customers with advertising mails.
Step 2 – Email program with filter function
You should also be choosy when choosing an email program. For example, a spam filter should be available and individually adjustable. Many filters can be equipped with a blacklist, which can be supplemented by the current spammers with a few clicks. Of course you can’t be lazy and you have to update this list as soon as a new spam mail appears. This may look like more work at first, but in the end it is faster than deleting hundreds of emails by hand. Windows Live Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird are recommended at this point.
Tip 2 – Clean up your email inbox by organizing it with folders
As with real mail, you have the choice to either wait until everything is piled up on your desk – i.e. in your inbox – or you can put the mails nicely sorted into folders. Most email programs offer the possibility to create additional file folders besides inbox, outbox and trash. Does your email program offer the possibility to assign a specific folder to an email address?? Then make use of this option. The rest of cleaning up the email inbox can be done by hand.
But make sure that your folder system doesn’t get too cluttered, otherwise you may have to search for a long time until you find your mail in some sub-subfolder again. Usually a rough classification is sufficient, according to business and private contacts or according to whether the mails come from friends, acquaintances or relatives.
Tip 3 – Schedule fixed email time
As is often the case when it comes to keeping things tidy, there are two basic principles that apply to cleaning up an email inbox.
- Every day a little bit saves big tidying up actions.
- It is better to do it right away than to put it off.
That’s why it makes sense to set aside a fixed time every day, but then really, either answer or delete every email you receive. Processed emails, to which you still expect a reply, can also go into the trash, because as long as you and your mail partners use the reply function, you always have the complete mail history with you anyway. And otherwise your mails remain “fresh” in the trash for a few more days.