My Mom’s Email

Anytime I see my mom’s email Inbox, it makes my stomach churn. Since I originally created her email account, I still have the password. I just logged in and look how many emails are in her Inbox. 719. WOW.

I just a read a post on manilla.com and thought of my mom!

I agree with the first three items of the post, but not the fourth. This is what the post said:

1.     Use Folders. Putting emails in separate folders is just like using filing folders for your paperwork. It organizes all of your emails into smaller and more distinct categories. Once you read an email, place it into a folder or delete it directly to avoid a backlog in your inbox.

2.     Check And Check Again. Don’t go days without checking your email. When you have 200 new messages in your inbox, it’s hard to quickly discern what’s important and what’s not. Check at least once a day. If you can tell from a subject line that an email is unimportant, go ahead and delete it. Don’t let it sit in your inbox unread.

3.     Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind. Your inbox should be a place only for emails that have not been processed.  Keep emails that require a response in your inbox. Otherwise, file it away in a folder. You can reference it at a later time if necessary, but it won’t be staring you in the face every time you log in.

4.     Filter The Good From the Bad. Use filters to organize and avoid spam. For example, create a filter so that all emails from colleagues are automatically dropped in your “Work” folder. Get spam out of your inbox by identifying the bad email addresses and directing those messages straight to the trash bin. I think all emails should go to your Inbox and then you manually move it to where you want it. That way, nothing is missed.