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The other day I was speaking with my client and we got on a topic about how to make emails retrieval and organizing easier to manage. While using the search bar is helpful, having an effective system will get rid of your unwanted emails quickly and allow you to see what needs to be focused on. But, you may ask, “why do I need to determine a system?” Having an effective system for your email will help in several different ways.
Benefits of having an effective system for emails:
- It will help you improved focus – if you are the type of person that gets distracted easily, having a structure and keeping to the system will make it easier for you to focus.
- It will help you have a seamless transition from one project to another – by having a system, you will be able to transition between different projects quickly and therefore save time and money.
- When your business grows, the process can expand – I have used this system for over 7 years and I have been able to implement it when my business grew.
- It will help you speed up how long it takes to read / review your emails. No one likes to read emails so any process that will help reduce how long it takes is one to try, don’t you think?
By setting up the steps below, it will help you and your business personnel speed up the process of reviewing emails.
First, think of the main area where the emails load as your current inbox.
Like a physical inbox, you add papers to the bin and then sort them into different areas, like to read, to file, and to take action. When people don’t see the emails, they tend to forget about them. So, keeping the current emails that need attention right in front of you will help you not lose any important emails.
Second, create “Folders” for long-term use.
This is like folders in a filing cabinet. Use these folders to store any email you wish to keep. This can be correspondences from clients, vendors, employees, or associates. Some folder names could be called: client names, social media site names, membership sites, topics like bookkeeping, bills to pay, etc… Click here to learn how to make folders in Microsoft Outlook. Google Gmail uses the term “Label” as folders. Click here to learn how to set up labels. Click here to learn how to set up “Folders” in Thunderbird (a free email management software).
Next, use Categories for your current emails.
Think of categories like book index titles. It will help you sort the emails into like topics. This could be emails that are from different clients. Creating a list of categories for your emails and consistently using them will keep your current emails organized in your inbox area. And, therefore easily accessible when needed. For Microsoft Outlook, click here to read the easy instructions on how to use categories.
Then, set up Rules for junk emails.
Some software may use a different term than “Rules.” Some may call this task “Filters”. Rules(filters) are automatic tasks that will move emails to a particular folder or another area without you having to do anything manually. Rules are great when you don’t want to look at all the general emails. This could be emails from stores, from bloggers, etc…
To use this feature, I like to create the folders or labels first for your junk mail. Some examples of folders could be: Coupons, Social media blogs, Google Alerts, etc…
Click here to learn how to set up “Rules” in Microsoft Outlook.
Click here to learn how to set up “Filters” in Google Gmail.
Click here to learn how to set up “Filters” in Thunderbird.
I hope this helps you get your emails under control. Let’s continue the conversation. Do you use Folders, Rules, or Categories? What do you recommend when organizing your emails? Do you have a large inbox? How many emails do you have? Please leave a comment below and share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.
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