Let’s Clear the Email Clutter
Let’s do some heavy email lifting.
The challenge today is to spend about 20 minutes and clear out some email. Only read enough of each email to determine if you need to keep it or delete it (or archive it).
Here are a few good things to know.
Delete vs Archive:
Archive
Imagine you have an unlimited storage container to put stuff in. It is out of your way, but you can always go back and fetch stuff out of it if you need to. This is archiving. Out of your way, but not totally gone.
Delete
Deleting is like throwing it in the dumpster. You got rid of it, it’s gone and you know you don’t want it back.
Triage Your Inbox with Brutal Efficiency
Think Like a Triage Nurse in a busy ER
Only read enough of each email to determine if you need to keep it or delete it (or archive it).
If your email inbox is overwhelming to you, don’t waste time deciding if you want to unsubscribe or how you should file a particular email. Think quickly without remorse. You can save emails to a general purpose “save” folder and think about it later if you are not sure you want to delete or archive it.
Think Binary:
- Save folder
- Trash/archive
Gmail users – Eliminate Email in Bulk
Look through your list and find an email you seem to receive a lot, one you don’t want.
- Once you have an email selected, go to the top toolbar in Gmail and choose “more”.
- From the “more” menu choose “filter email like this”. Now Gmail will find all the email with that search parameter. (click the blue search button to make the big filter box go away)
- Now select all of them by clicking in the little square at the top of the list This will check all the little boxes next to the offending emails so you can delete them.
Note: To select ALL (50 or more) emails look for “select all emails” right above the top email listed.
Check out this Video: Mass Move Emails with Gmail
Outlook.com users – Eliminate Email in Bulk
- Once you have the email selected choose “sweep” from the top toolbar.
- This will give you several cool options, including the option to delete ALL the emails like the one you originally selected.
Check out this Video: Mass Move Emails with Outlook Online
If you use another email platform the Gmail and Outlook guide sheets may give you clues to help with your system. Most email systems work in a very similar way.
Now, let’s get to work!
- Look at your email inbox and see you many you have in there.
- Set a timer for 20min (You will most likely find a timer in the clock app of your phone)
- Go to your inbox and get to it!
- When you are done note how many emails you have left and be very proud of yourself.
- Email me at tech@luxcentric.com and I will congratulate you!
Would you like to dig a little deeper into this? Take the Inbox Rescue Challenge.
