Rule No. #1. Keep your Gmail inbox clear of unnecessary emails. Once you read it, file or mark each email for different tasks or follow-ups. Here are a few tips on how to stay on top of your Gmail inbox.
File & Tag Those Emails
If an email falls under a task, tag the email or use Boomerang to follow up on a particular date. Boomerang also lets you send it out of your inbox and back in again when you need it. This is an excellent way to follow up on ongoing conversations and wait for a reply. If you’re writing emails and want to send them out on a specific day, Boomerang can do that too. Just click the ‘Send Later’ button. I use Boomerang and Streak daily for the ‘snooze’ feature and follow-ups. This will help keep your Gmail inbox clear.
I know. Sometimes I keep my emails in my inbox to remind me to do something. There’s a better way! ToDoist extension sitting in your Chrome taskbar can take those emails and put them on a task list with the email attached. Just click the email and then click Todoist and Add Task. Schedule the date. Easy to do, saves headaches later. The sweet thing is you can download the Todoist app on your smartphone, so you never leave home without your list! No more sticky notes on the dashboard or desktop! It’s all in one place and keeps your inbox clear.
Unsubscribe
Do you have a lot of junk mail that filters into your inbox? Then scroll down the email page to the end of the email. There should always be a place to ‘Unsubscribe’ from the email list. Fewer delete clicks to make from now on!
Use Folders to Keep the Inbox Gmail Clear
When sorting through your email, please read and file it somewhere in a folder or File #13 (trash). Click on the icon file folder at the top and type in the Folder Name where you want the email to file. The new or existing folder (if previously made) will show up in the sidebar to quickly retrieve.
If all these extensions are too complicated and cluttered, download Gmail’s new Inbox app and see if you like their latest version. They have some of the same features I discussed with Boomerang and Todoist. Inbox bundles your emails into categories to be found all in one click. You can also “snooze” an email and have it reappear at the appropriate time. Finally, you can turn emails into tasks. Check out their promo video here.
I recently logged into one of my client’s email accounts to retrieve correspondence and noticed over 200 emails in the inbox. Yikes! All of them appeared to have been read. They collected dust because most information was old news, and responses were already sent. Don’t be like this guy collecting inbox ‘dust bunnies.’ So get your inbox clear and cleaned up. Suppose you have trouble keeping your ‘to-do’ list organized or need an extra hand. Give me a call with your free one hand, and you’ll gain two more!
