I will soon start a new job where I expect to receive significantly more emails than I do currently. So far, I haven’t had a system in place, except for marking emails as unread until I respond and occasionally using flags.
I would like to change that practice, now that I have a clean slate. But how do I start managing my inbox?
I use Mac Mail and would like to continue using it. I know how to set up rules and create smart mailboxes etc., but I can’t really see the potential.
Thank you!
I use Gmail, but it’s more about the process. For my brain, everything needs to be placed into a folder (labeled), and the inbox itself needs to be empty. I have a lot of labels and sub-labels, some of them more in use than others. I hope you get some great answers here, I’m not sure mine is helpful :/
That’s similar to how I do it. I can’t stop myself from reading an unread email, so if it’s a task or issue that I’m actively dealing with, it stays in my inbox, otherwise it gets sorted into various folders. That way, I can bring it up again if I need it for reference.
Automatic sorting (setting up rules in Outlook, for instance) is useful for either diverting those emails you don’t really need (ones you get looped in on as part of a department regardless of whether it involves you) or are important only in that they exist, so confirmation emails. Then you can rapid fire cycle through that sorted pile instead of dancing around in your inbox.
A general tip: you can also email yourself, or set reminders via the calendar, if you want to consolidate several discussion threads into one. Ccing your boss with “…and that’s why I’m doing [x]” might also be helpful in terms of keeping track of both your productivity and covering your ass.
Personally I automatically label and filter out of my inbox automatic emails, stuff that come often. So my inbox usually only has mails that concern me. And then I handle them the same way as you do: keep them unread till I handle them. Then archive those that are “ended”.
The first thing I do when I start at a new place is create a mark “X accepted your meeting invite” mails as read & auto-archive.
Immediately cuts out so much noise, and you will still get any Tentative/Declined in your inbox. Always the first thing because at the beginning you are likely setting up lots of meetings with new people.
This is exactly how I do mine as well. Using the “+label” with Gmail (address+label@gmail.com) helps with filtering as well.
Not who you are replying to but I always fell back to a single monolithic inbox with categories/labels as the differentiator (professionally and personally).
For me, this was down to my line of work where client projects would be anywhere between 1-6mths, each with a revolving door of stakeholders. If I had the time during mobilisation, I could set up a system but it would just take one particularly active day or brief holiday worth of incoming for it to no longer be managable - resulting in my emails now being in two places making it annoying in time critical situations, and easier to miss mails generally.
Lastly, less of an issue these days but I used to always run into search issues when everything was segregated into folders. Sometimes this was due to early 2010s online inboxes still being anemic in size (and forced to offline archive) and, sometimes I think it was just old software creaking. Filtering by tag/category/label was always functionally the same number of steps for me but yielded better results - and for incoming, visually seeing a brightly coloured label in the single list of mail draws my eye more than a small “(1)” in a sizeable folder structure.
I use outlook at work but again it’s more about the process.
My inbox is my “to do” list. I have lots of folders and subfolders and I file everything. Once a day I try to take a few minutes to file stuff that’s been dealt with.
I do also file some "sent"mail too as I’m kinda CYA cautious like that.
I get a bit stressed if my inbox gets to the point where I have to scroll down through it - that tells me I need to delegate, file or close out some items.
Some people never file anything and just use the search function in whatever email client they’re in, but I’m a bit old and never had that function in the early days so it doesn’t come naturally to me - an inbox with 20,000 messages in it just freaks me out.
I also use the conversation function which keeps everything tied together regardless of which folder it’s in.
Trial and error. You don’t have to stick to a routine or method - if it’s not working for you, change something until it does.
Very similar to my own methods, right down to filing important Sent items. This can come in extremely useful when it’s your word against another (often senior) colleagues, that you had reported a concern. Being able to quickly recall what and when was said can shut down an argument before it has blossomed.
I mentioned in your earlier question about how I use Todoist and work through the inbox. In Mac Mail, I also use MailTags and MailActOn (e.g., t forwards the email to my Todoist inbox) to create rules to tag and file messages, or add ticklers quickly using keyboard shortcuts. I’m not sure how I will do this once macOS breaks Mail add ons…
In my role I get copious email, direct, cc’d for visibility or automated stuff.
In Gmail, I build a rule to label and archive automated things like alerts or bills and keeps them out of my inbox and I can choose to engage at my leisure.
For everything else I star and archive. I have a few points throughout the day I triage or act on. Immediate response things get responded too, things I need to address but it’s not urgent I star and archive. Then I look through my starred emails occasionally to see if anything has risen in priority for me to address, and I do so. Everything else lays untouched in starred.
What I find is this keeps me close to inbox zero, helps me keep important stuff visible and often stuff I’ve starred, given time takes care of itself before I engage and I eventually unstar it to never be seen again as it just wasn’t important or didn’t need my engagement.
It works well for me. Sometimes I get behind, and that’s ok. I’m only one person, and I have time boxed time to prevent email dominating my life
