We all have those busy weeks where we’re running here and there and barely have time to remember to eat breakfast, let alone go through emails. By Friday, when I finally get around to scrolling through my inbox, it resembles a sea of blue dots — comprising of lots of unopened emails. And with things flagged and saved for later it’s easy to lose track of important emails that require your attention.
So what’s a busy girl to do? If having a personal assistant to declutter your inbox isn’t in your budget (yea, it’s not in mine, either), here are a few easy tips that can save you time…and help you avoid the dreaded tyranny of the inbox.
Hit unsubscribe: Inbox filling up with emails about deals, steals, and sales? Don’t kid yourself. Deleting those unnecessary emails takes precious time. If it’s a store you no longer shop at, remove yourself from their mail list. You’ll be amazed at how many fewer emails bombard you each week. Hint: Using a tool like Unroll.Me can help show you where you are subscribed and make removing yourself a breeze!
Set aside a few minutes each day to go through recent emails: It’s easy to flag important emails on the go, but then forget to come back to them later. Try to set aside five or ten minutes each day to check what’s come in during the last 24-hours. It will help you manage your inbox without feeling overwhelmed when you see the little icon telling you that you have 200 unread emails (or 141, in my case).
Mark important senders as VIP: You know those people that you need to answer ASAP, like your boss? Having them marked as VIP will help create a sense of urgency when an email from one of them appears in your inbox. Hint: Try to limit the amount of people labeled VIP to five or fewer.
Aim to start the new week off with zero emails: I try to go through my emails as they come in. But it rarely happens that I get through all of them. The tips above have helped me stay on top of my email game, but I still get stressed when there are too many unopened emails at the start of a new week. Recently, I set a goal that come Monday morning I will have zero emails in my inbox, which means that I spend the weekend going through whatever is leftover from the week. It’s a great feeling when you can start each week off fresh and ready to tackle what’s ahead.
What helps you keep your inbox organized? I’d love to hear your tips!
I have become a pro at organizing my work emails. Any given day I receive between 50 and 150 emails at the office!! I usually read as they come through and leave the important ones that require a response open until they are resolved!
Christina :: Simple and Delish
You are a pro, Christina. I like your strategy!
These are fantastic tips! I need to try that Unroll Me. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
http://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thanks, Kathrine! I’m glad you found these tips helpful.
Yes! I have finally been getting around to this. I have been unsubscribing to everything lately!
xx Chelsea
http://www.organizedmessblog.com
Yay! Glad unsubscribing has been working for you, Chelsea.
Hit unsubscribe is something I SO need to do. I receive at LEAST 15 emails a day that I don’t care about! Great and informative post!
xoxo http://www.touchofcurl.com
I’ve definitely been unsubscribing more, and it has helped me cutdown on the amount of time I have to spend deleting emails. I’m glad you found this post helpful, Colleen!
Such great tips! I am going to have to use some of these in 2016! Thanks for sharing 🙂
~Samantha
http://goldcoastgirlblog.com
Thanks, Samantha! I’m glad you found them helpful.
Awesome tips. A non-zeroed out inbox stresses me out beyond words. I’m a huge archiving fan! That would be my tip 😉
-Dara
http://www.peoniesandhoneybees.com
Yes, archiving is great, Dara! I’m so happy when my inbox gets (and stays) at zero.
Great tips! Mine gets so full to so quickly! I also have a few of them! Hope you have a great day!
Danielle
http://www.blushblossom.com
Isn’t it amazing how quickly your inbox can fill up, Danielle? I swear, if I answer one email ten more will come to its funeral!
These are great tips! I really need to unsubscribe from a lot of promotional emails. Some stores have sales every day and it’s too hard to keep up haha
Jamie
http://www.treatsandtrendsblog.com
Right, Jamie?! I get daily emails from certain stores about sales. Unsubscribing is key in the battle against “email overload.”
One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing a notification sign on my inbox, so I like to keep things clear and star the important emails so I don’t forget to answer them!
xo
Siffat
http://icingandglitter.com
That’s a good strategy, Siffat!
Im rather OCD about making sure my inbox is at 0 I hate the worry of lots of emails loitering in my inbox!
writeaboutbeauty.blogspot.co.uk
I get pretty stressed when there are too many emails in my inbox as well, Hayley! Some weeks I have to avert my eyes and just tell myself that I’ll get to them soon. This is one of those weeks!
oh my gosh this is such a life savor! thank you!!
XO JNESS
jenessasheffield
I’m glad you found these tips helpful, Jenessa!
Great tips! I really need to hit unsubscribe on a lot of my emails.
http://www.citybelleblog.com
Thanks, Stephanie! I’m glad you found these tips helpful, and thanks for visiting Living in Steil.
thanks for sharing! Really helpful 🙂
x
kirstenthyra.com
I’m glad you found this post helpful, Kirsten. Thanks for visiting Living in Steil!