Sometimes it seems we’re all drawing under a sea of email, and the main reason is not the amount we receive but how we organize it — or maybe don’t organize it!
When you’re ready to organize your email, start with a choice between a filing structure, or keeping it all in one place and using the search function to find specific messages. That decision depends on your personality. If you like to keep things in their own place, file folders are for you. If you’re only concerned about finding it when you need it, you’ll prefer a search-based system.
Organize your Email into Folders
The folders you use to organize your email will depend on your work. If you have a boss, create a folder for Boss. If you work on projects, create a folder for each project. If you’re on a committee or work team, create a folder for that.
If you subscribe to ezines, you don’t want those cluttering up your mailbox, so make a separate folder for them.
A follow-up file is a good place to put items you’ll need to monitor, and you’ll also need some kind of reminder to take care of them. Finally, there’s your archive file, where you keep things you’ve dealt with but that you really need to keep.
Most email systems give you the ability to automatically move incoming email into folders. This process is called applying rules. Set it up so that, for example, all mail from your boss goes right in there; personal mail goes in the personal folder for later attention; project messages go right into the appropriate folder.
Here’s a tip for dealing with subscriptions. Set your rule up so that any email that contains phrases such as “to unsubscribe” or “manage your subscription” goes right into the subscriptions folder. That way you won’t be tempted to interrupt your work by reading ezines that should be kept for your leisure time.
Finally, don’t forget about your outgoing mail. Go through it once a day and move items into their appropriate folder.
The idea is that mail should move through the In box as quickly as possible, so that you start each day with it empty.
Search
Organize your email under a search system based on keywords. Just like searching on Google, you pop in a key word describing the message you want and it should come up. You can search by sender name, subject line or whatever works.
Even with a search system, it’s best not to keep everyone in your In box. Instead, move it all to an Archives folder when you’ve dealt with it and that’s where you’ll do your searches.
And remember, organizing email is a lot easier if you actually throw out what you no longer need.