I have had multiple clients ask me for tips or tricks to organizing e-mail. An e-mail is not that different from a piece of paper – it’s just in electronic form. In the organizing world, we separate things into three categories – “stuff”, data and time. Stuff refers to physical objects – toys, books, towels, furniture, etc. Time refers to… well, time. Data refers to information.

When you keep a piece of paper, you generally keep it for the information that is on it (unless you are dealing with scrapbooking or office supplies). Same thing with e-mail. You probably don’t hold onto an e-mail because it’s sentimental or came from a specific sender. You keep it because there is information contained in the e-mail that you need.

Start thinking of e-mail as the same as paper. When you receive a piece of paper with information on it, it needs to be processed. Process according to what needs to be done with it – to read, to do, to file, to refer to others or to throw away.

Before holding onto an electronic file, ask yourself the same questions as when organizing paperwork:
Which information is VITAL (according to legal responsibility or company policy)?
Can the information be looked up online?
Do I need to act on this information?
Is this information for reference only?
How long do I need to hold onto this?

Email Management Tips:

REDUCE:

• Set up a folder for e-newsletters that you want to read later. This clears out your inbox.
• Set up a junk mail e-mail address. You can get free e-mail accounts from Yahoo and Google – set up a dummy account that you use to register for sweepstakes, online subscriptions and coupons. This will keep all of the junk out of your regular inbox.
• Immediately mark meetings/calendar information on your calendar and then trash or file appropriately.
• Immediately add To Do tasks to your To Do List and then dispose of the e-mail.
• Immediately respond to e-mails that require a response or mark it unread for future response.

ARRANGE:

• Create folders within your inbox that mimic those in your paper filing cabinet. Set up a folder for each client or project or category you use.
• Set up a tickler file in your e-mail inbox.
• Flag items in your inbox that require further action and are priority items.
• Keep items in your inbox that you need to follow up on, act on or use the information within the next week or so.
• If you read an e-mail on your smartphone that requires your computer (or something in your office) to complete the action item, mark it unread. When you get back to the office, it will display as a new message and remind you to act on it.
• To further assist with sorting, some e-mail programs allow you to color code items from specific senders. For example, if the e-mail came from your boss you might want it to stand out from the rest.

MAINTAIN:

• Set aside time each day or week to cull your inbox. Or, set a limit to the number of e-mails in your inbox. When it reaches 30 or 50, take 15 minutes to quickly sort and make decisions about the data contained in the e-mails.
• Do not print e-mails unless it is absolutely necessary. You can file them in your e-mail program and access them anytime without wasting paper and ink.
• Archive old e-mails once per year or every two years. This clears out your e-mail storage. Some e-mail programs will prompt you to Auto Archive items.

Think of your e-mail inbox as the inbox on your desk – don’t allow the files to pile and clutter to take over!

Do you have any tips or tricks for managing your e-mail inbox and folders?