Fight back the inbox clutter by installing spam filters, unsubscribing from unnecessary lists, and setting aside time for the important messages.
In this age of Facebook, Twitter, Skype, instant messaging, and texting, your email account can quickly become a graveyard for spam if you don't take steps to manage it. Good old-fashioned email is still an ideal way to communicate with colleagues, friends, and family--but it can become a time-consuming chore if you have to wade through dozens of unsolicited junk emails to find the worthwhile messages to respond to. Here are three ways to maintain control over your email account and make the most of your time.
1. Install a Spam Filter. The very first thing to do, if you haven't already, is install a spam filter. Virtually every email program or free email clients like Gmail or Yahoo Mail has some sort of spam filter functionality. Go into your Settings to turn on or customize your spam filtering. If you're using an email program like Mac Mail or Outlook Express, you can purchase spam-filtering software. These vary in price and quality, so be sure to look up product reviews to see which spam filter is best for the specific email program you're using.
One thing to note about using a spam filter is that your computer will do its best to guess what is or isn't junk mail, but sometimes it will be wrong. It's a good idea to periodically check your spam folder to make sure that there are no emails in there that you actually need.
Unsubscribe from Email Marketing Lists. The second thing would be to get off any email marketing lists that you're not actively engaging with on a regular basis, such as daily deal websites like Groupon or Gilt, or newsletter subscriptions. These subscriptions can seem like a good idea when you first sign up, but they soon become burdensome--and usually go unread--when they come in day after day. As these emails come in, find the ones you haven't read regularly for the last few months and unsubscribe.
2. On a similar note, if you're on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or LinkedIn, go to your account settings for those sites and turn off email notifications. When you visit those sites they automatically alert you to new messages or other interactions; there's no reason for those same alerts to clutter your email account.
Set Aside Time for the Backlog. Start putting aside some time during your day to actually process the email that is there--maybe in thirty-minute chunks a couple of times a day--simply to get through the email backlog. Reading and responding to email requires real attention--it's not something you can leave for your spare time.
3. Doing all of these things together--putting in spam filters, unsubscribing from unnecessary email marketing lists, and setting aside specific time each day to read, respond, and archive or delete emails--should help reduce the influx of email that is coming in.
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Joshua Zerkel, Productivity Strategist, is a Certified Professional Organizer® and the founder of Custom Living Solutions, the San Francisco Bay Area's premier productivity and organizing consulting firm. Joshua specializes in helping busy entrepreneurs save time, be more productive and make more money by getting organized at home and at work. http://www.customlivingsolutions.com
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