Stop the Email Overload: Tips for a Clutter-Free Inbox
One of the most sneaky and widespread forms of clutter, often less noticeable than our overflowing physical belongings, is digital clutter. From a jam-packed email inbox to folders overflowing with unnecessary files, this type of clutter can reduce our productivity and elevate our stress levels.
But unlike the speed of change in digital technology, we may be less prone to deal with it, resulting in—yep, you guessed it—more clutter!
So why the hesitation?
First, it’s easy to procrastinate digital decluttering because it isn’t quite as “in our face” as our physical clutter. We can close our computers or phones and easily forget about it. Or we assume it will take too much time to finish. While it does require time, like any decluttering task, it rarely takes as long as we expect. You can tackle it in small steps—even just 5 minutes a day—which is time well spent because it saves you time in the long run!
So, if we want to begin a digital clean-up, where should we focus first?
For most people, email is especially troublesome. With inboxes that can have thousands or even hundreds of thousands of emails demanding our attention, email can be relentless. Just when we think we’ve tamed the beast, we turn around a few hours later and find that our inbox is full. Again. As our inbox numbers increase, so do our stress levels! This blog post is full of practical tips designed to tame your inbox and keep it under control.
Does your gigantic inbox stress you out? Clear the deck with this radical solution.
Clear the Deck
If your inbox is overflowing, here's a radical solution that lets you start fresh while still keeping all your emails:
Take a deep breath.
Select All.
Archive.
Celebrate! Your inbox is now empty.
We can already hear the objections: “Wait a second! It can’t be that easy. I can’t just get rid of all my emails! What if there’s something important?” Here’s the thing: When you archive your emails, you’re not getting rid of them. Archiving isn’t the same as deleting. They’re still there; they’re just not crowding up your inbox anymore.
You can easily find any of those archived emails with a simple search: by the name of the person who sent it, by a keyword, by whether or not it has an attachment, by when it was sent, or numerous other criteria. Make full use of your email program’s ability to find things for you instead of wasting time scrolling through a huge inbox or searching a long list of email folders.
Stop the inflow by aggressively and consistently unsubscribing.
Plug the Leaks
Whether or not you need to apply the radical clearing the deck strategy, we all benefit from decreasing the amount of incoming emails. When it comes to stopping the inflow, the Unsubscribe button is your best friend and should be used liberally.
Let’s face it, we’ve all added our names to multiple email lists: stores we frequent, causes we support, social groups, boards, charities, companies, etc. Many of these regular emails we never get around to reading. But week after week, the emails keep coming in. Each time, they either add to the massive volume of emails in our inboxes, or we have to take time to delete them. Consistently.
Now, before you offer us a lengthy dissertation about how hard it is to remove yourself from all these lists, we want to let you in on a little secret: You don’t have to do anything except click “Unsubscribe.” Nothing is forcing you to go to the next step. Thanks to the federal one-click unsubscribe law, a recipient must be able to opt-out with one click. That second step is not necessary to unsubscribe.
It may seem quicker to delete the emails, but since you’re having to do that time after time with a subscription, it takes less time to simply unsubscribe, because that’s just one click and then no more emails. Multiply that by all the different emails you’re subscribed to, and you’ve just lightened your load tremendously. Keep in mind that you probably won’t be unsubscribed immediately. It may take a few days to a week or two. So don’t panic when you still see a few of those emails trickle in.
Most email programs have excellent automation tools that can be a game-changer!
Use Your Tools
Applying automation to your email is a game-changer that very few people utilize. If you use either Gmail or Outlook, automation is exceptionally easy and helpful.
In Gmail, the automation is called Filters; in Outlook it’s called Rules. In both programs, you're creating rules so that when you receive a specific type of email, your email application will automatically perform the action you've configured.
Let’s say you receive emails that you’d like to keep, but maybe you’d rather look at them later on your own time because they’re not critical or time-sensitive. For instance, if you've subscribed to a newsletter that you'd rather read in batches when you have time, instead of as they arrive, you can easily configure your email to automatically move those messages into a designated folder you've created, bypassing your Inbox altogether.
Or what if you have specific emails that are especially important that you want to be sure not to miss? How can you ensure they don’t get lost in your inbox and forgotten? Once again, automation is the key! Depending on which email program you’re using, you may be able to set up an alert or have them directed to a specific folder for priority emails. Be particularly mindful of how you set up this automation so that those emails don’t slip through the cracks.
If you choose to go this route, both Google (Gmail) and Outlook have excellent free support materials online to help you with automation as well as other tips and tricks.
You can transform your email inbox using these tips!
By implementing these practical tips, you'll be well on your way to stopping your email overload. Remember, it's a journey, not a destination. Consistent effort and a mindful approach will help you achieve a clutter-free inbox and regain control of your digital life.