Email is overwhelming. Regardless of what email system you use, it’s time consuming. It feels like email is controlling you vs. you controlling email.
Gmail has options that can work in your favor and move emails in an organized fashion so that it is manageable.
Utilizing some of these options can take time to set up, but it will definitely help to keep your email efficient in the long run.
Labels will help to organize Gmail. Once it’s set up, new emails can go directly to the label set up (if you choose) or it will be uniquely identified when it shows up in your Inbox. Kinda like setting up a rule in Outlook.
You will be able to quickly remove emails from your inbox by selecting the correct label and archive. You can also select different colors for the label that make those emails stand out in your Inbox. It all depends on how you set it up.
Here’s how to set it up:
1. Copy the email address that you want to filter first, or be prepared to type the full email address or other identifying factor. Select “Create a filter“
2. Paste the email address, or type the information into the appropriate place. You will probably want to use the same label for all emails TO and FROM the same person or business to keep all correspondence together. You will have to do this process twice (once for the “from” and a second time for the “to).
3. Select “Apply the label“. A drop down menu will show and you can highlight an existing label or create a new one. If you want future emails to bypass the inbox, check “Skip the Inbox” (which also archives emails from that email address that is currently in the Inbox). Make sure to check the box next to “Create the Filter” so that label will be applied to all current emails with that email address.
Now, click “Create Filter” and the label will be created.
4. Once the label is created you can assign colors to the label. Select the box next to the label, and you will see a choice for colors. It’s great if you want to differentiate the labels from the rest of your email or for special situations.
Example: Each client would have a different color so that any emails that arrive stand out…especially IF you have them delivered into the Inbox.
Here is what it will look like after the color is selected and you are viewing just that particular label.
5. An example of creating a label, and NOT having it bypass the Inbox.
To quickly filter the emails out of the Inbox:
- Click the label on the left.
- Select all (clicking the box to the left with a down arrow just above emails)
- Click “More actions” a drop down menu will appear and select Archive. That will take all emails under that label out of the Inbox and will look like the picture above.
- Repeat for each label and all of the identified (pre-filter identified emails) will be removed from the inbox.
Suggestion: If you have have more than one email loading into your Gmail account, Set up a special label WITH a color so that those emails stand out immediately in the Inbox. I prefer certain emails to go into my Inbox so that I see them right away.
What do ya think? Hopefully this will help you to maintain your Gmail.
If you are using another process, please share or if you need further assistance, just ask.
About Michelle Church
