|
|
|
|
Home -
Community
Computer 101
6 Ideas for
Eliminating Email Clutter
Email has been beneficial to us all in many ways. It's a wonderfully quick way
of delivering a message. It helps us to answer on our own time--no telephone
tag, or waiting on hold. Plus, it's extremely cost effective. You can
basically send e-mails to friends and family worldwide, and pay nothing more
than a monthly fee.
However, there is a price to pay. Just like paper clutter, email could easily
turn into virtual clutter. Now, in addition to having a mountain of paper,
many people have an enormous amount of email to plow through each day. Here
are a few simple tips to help keep it under control.
1. Check and manage email on a daily basis.
Schedule one or two consistent time periods each day to go through your email
in-box. Get rid of as much email as you can each day. If possible, don't go to
bed at night before clearing out your email in-box.
2. Take action.
Just as it's easy to paper shuffle, it's also simple to 'email shuffle.' Try
to take action on each email you open.
First, skim the subject lines
and immediately get rid of email that you don't need. A high percentage of
email can be deleted without ever opening it.
Second, open each message one by one. If there are any that can be answered
immediately, do so. Usually, the message can then be deleted. Be brutal
here. Again, most messages do not need to be kept after the action has been
completed.
If you 'truly' need to save a particular message, file it in a computer
folder. A computer folder is simply an area in your email program where you
can 'file' emails into 'folders' so you don't have to print them out, but
they're
easily accessible when you need them.
Categorize these folders, just like you would with paper folders. For
instance, if you like referring to some regular newsletters you get, make a
computer folder for
each of them. The name of each folder should be the name of the newsletter.
3. Take advantage of filters.
Some email programs come with an option which allows you to filter your
messages. Check with your email provider to determine if you have this
option and how to take advantage of it. There are two common reasons that
you might want to use your filtering capabilities.
a. Quickly storing emails you want to reference later: Let's say you get an
email report every day from a co-worker that lists some numbers that you may
need to
reference, but you don't have to look at on a daily basis. You can filter
email from that particular person directly into a computer folder. Then,
when the person sends you the email report, it will automatically be moved
into the folder you have set up.
b. Quickly getting rid of email you don't want: I recently was getting email
messages, from a specific email address, that were unsolicited. After
determining that it was impossible to get off this list, I decided to filter
any email from that particular person right into my 'deleted mail' folder.
Now, I never have to deal with it. Very often, you can filter by different
variables, such as sender, subject line, messages with attachments, and so
on.
4. Stories, jokes and email hoaxes.
Stories, jokes and email hoaxes are constantly being forwarded throughout
the Internet. Some people really enjoy receiving these types of emails.
Others don't have the time for them. If you don't have the time to receive
such emails, tell the senders that you'd prefer not to receive them anymore.
It's not being rude. Simply tell the person that you're happy to receive a
personal note from them, but
you don't have time for the other types of email.
5. Don't stay on lists that are not helping you. Be particular about the
newsletter lists you sign up for and remain on. The lists you should be on
are the ones that
benefit you in some shape or form.
6. Print with caution.
If you like printing a particular newsletter to read from your comfy chair
in another room, that's fine. However, be careful about printing every
single email you get. You don't want to double the problem by duplicating
your email clutter into paper clutter. Remember, you can store email in
folders on your computer. Yes, they'll take up some room on your computer,
but at least they won't begin to clutter
your home and your office too.
Organize your kitchen,
basement, desk, office, closets and
every other room in your home or life! Better manage your
time, eliminate procrastination, stop being late,
prioritize like a pro. Get your paper under control, create
a more effective filing system, motivate yourself to get
and stay organized. You'll find it all, and more in my
book, Finally Organized, Finally Free!
Home -
Community Computer 101 - Eliminating Email Clutter
Go to:
My ID was stolen!
|
| |
|
Bingo blog!
Cyber-Bingo-Online
Bingo News! Stay updated on the latest in online cyber bingo.
MySpace!
bingoplayernetwork
I have zillions of
ideas, some of which are brilliant.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I think the Irish woman was freed from slavery by bingo. They can go out now,
dressed up, with their handbags and have a drink and play bingo. And they
deserve it."
John B. Keane
Thought of the Day
Write the bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things
that happen to you on a piece of marble. Arabic parable
| |
