If you’re like me the Inbox is a big, black scary monster that keeps rearing its ugly head even when it’s not Halloween! This Virtual Assistant has found a way to cut down on the clutter and keep my inbox manageable. I’ll share a few quick tips for you to do the same.

It’s about what you filter in and out of your Inbox. If you’re always signing up for someone’s newsletter or downloading a freebie, you might want to consider forming a file folder for emails such as this by creating a folder and filtering. Here’s how you do it.

Say you want to sign up for A Guide to Hiring a Virtual Assistant but you have to enter your email address first

Go to your Gmail account. Go to Settings (in the top right corner click on the spoke wheel symbol)>Filters & Blocked Addresses and click on Create a New Filter.   

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If you are using a Gmail account enter into the ‘To’ Field: youremailaddress+news@gmail.com.  Just add the +news or +help (name it whatever filter you want.) If you like to collect newsletters on landscaping it could be +landscape. You could set up several filters to the different categories you are filing. Use the plus+ sign and filter name after your prefix.  Click ‘Create Filter with this Search’.
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You will want the email to skip your Inbox and go directly into the filtered file check the box: Skip the Inbox.
Check Apply the label: Newsletters
Categorize as: Promotions
Click on Create filter

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Send yourself a test email with the filtered email address. Refresh your page. Then check that filtered folder. Taaa-daaah. Your email should be in the folder you designated.

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If you’d like help with your inbox and other administrative office duties with Gmail but don’t want the hassle of providing an office with a desk (and putting up with those ‘bad hair days’) then give me a call and hire a virtual assistant! We can make something happen!