Email has become such an integral part of our lives that when information technology went mobile it was only natural that email would as well. The organizational challenges we face with email are compounded when we attempt to manage them on mobile devices. The following are some tips and tools to help mitigate this growing problem.
Stop Using Email for Storage
When you open an email you’re not sure what to do with, generally you close it and move on to the next figuring you’ll come back to it later. That’s one of the reasons for the overcrowding. Email is not for storage, or scheduling, or to-do lists, or even reminders. There are apps for your Windows phone that are designed to handle those tasks. Start thinking of organizing your email so that it becomes an efficient messaging tool.
Manage the Spam
Most spam can be handled quickly.
- Use a reliable Internet Service Provider that detects and eliminates spam.
- Don’t use auto responders. They inform spammers that they have found a live email address.
- Invest in the best technology to be a powerful spam blocker. It should work in the background and not stop those you want from getting through to you.
- Set your email software security to high.
Use Your Delete Key
When you sit down to go through your email, quickly identify which messages you don’t want to read and delete them. If you need to save it, then put it in a file to return to or where it can be stored for later retrieval. Otherwise, if you’re not going to respond to it immediately, delete it.
Redirect Message Using Rules
If you receive periodic messages that you know you won’t be reading immediately, you can create rules to have those messages sent directly to specified folder. This is done by setting up a rule. You can do this for many things:
Move messages from a specific source to a particular folder. This takes a message from a specific sender and puts it into the file of your choosing.
Move messages with specific words to a subject folder. For example all messages with the word “invoice” in them will be sent directly to your invoice file.
Delete a conversation. You can automatically delete any message that arrives with certain wording, like “great deal.”
Flag messages from individuals with a colored flag. You can use a different color flag for different people or topics. This makes it easier to bring them all together for later reviewing.
Get “Mailbox”
This app will make following all these organizational tips easier. It is a completely different design to your inbox, making it faster and mobile-friendly. You can swipe message directly into an archive or trash it. Snooze an email for later viewing with the touch of a button. It removes the message temporarily but returns it to your email box later when you can deal with it.
Organization and a clear understanding of the function of email are essential to managing your messages. With the right email tools, functions and apps, you can get your mobile emails whipped into shape in no time.
Teddy Hunt is a freelance content writer with a focus on technology. When not behind a computer, Teddy spends the majority of his free time outdoors and resides in Tampa, Florida. Follow Teddy on Twitter: @tedhunt9.
Image via Flickr by mastermaq
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