Overcoming Email Overwhelm
For months now, I’ve been on email overwhelm. I’m inundated with spam, plus I receive hundreds of “legit” email messages — stuff from clients, e-newsletters, Google alerts, and the like.
I lose things and spend too much time trying to find them in my trash or “out” folders.
I delete Google alerts and e-newsletters, even though I want to read them, simply because I want to get rid of the email clogging my inbox.
So I’ve been working on refining my email organization habits, which include:
Filing email by projects — I first started out with one folder per client, but some clients have multiple projects, so now I file email by client and by project. This has helped quite a bit.
Filing important outgoing email — Often times I use email to communicate strategy and other important issues. Then I “lose” that email and forget what I told the client. Now I file those emails in the appropriate project folder once they’ve been sent.
Deleting old files — Once a project is completed and “approved,” I delete the messages in that folder.
Using a “tickler” file — For months I had email sitting in my inbox for stuff I want to save and act on (when I have time, har har). I finally moved all of it to a “tickler” file. This file is organized by idea and/or action item.
Managing my inbox — I made a goal to keep fewer than 100 messages in my inbox. Then I narrowed it down to 50. I’ve also made it a habit to clean out my inbox and empty my trash every Friday before backing up my computer.
I’m still a bit overwhelmed (I have yet to go through my e-newsletter folder), but I’m happy to say that at the moment, I have only six email messages in my inbox. This is a first for me.
My new goal is to keep fewer than 25 messages in my inbox. I’ll let you know if I can sustain it!
What are your email management tips and tricks?
March 26th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
One great way to follow Dianna’s advice to file email per project is to use a software program that will do this for you, automatically. Goldmine Contact Manager/Database/address book is perfect for this. Each time that I receive an email from someone, it is automatically filed in that person or company’s Goldmine record. It stays in the Pending file of the contact’s record until I act on it by reading it or responding to it. After I read or respond to the email, Goldmine automatically moves it from the contact’s Pending folder to the History folder. The program is not cheap, nor simple to learn but it is the single most effective way to organize my email that I’ve found.
March 26th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
I use Microsoft Outlook. With it, I’ve set up a good folder system that works for me.
For example, I have a folder for “Newsletters”. Under that, a sub-folder for “Copywriters”. Under that I have another sub-folder called “Dianna Huff”.
The first email I get from a new newsletter source goes to my Inbox. I right-click the email and select “Rules and Alerts”. I walk through the the steps to re-direct all future email from that new source to a new folder that I create at that moment.
So now, whenever I get a newsletter from Dianna Huff, it doesn’t goes to my inbox anymore — it goes straight to the Dianna Huff folder.
It only takes a few seconds to set up a new rule in Outlook. It’s a pretty handy tool.
March 27th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Michael, Yes, I use rules too for things like e-newsletters. It works well.
Robert, I use ACT! but the email program is so bad I don’t use it. Hence, I don’t have emails attached to my clients’ records.
March 30th, 2007 at 1:11 am
Hello, this Dan from Coventi, with one potential cure for “Email Overwhelm.”
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We have a quick video demo at:
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Thanks,
Dan