Filters

“In with the new – out with the old” say the New Year. “In with efficiency – up with a cluttered inbox” I say then.
By creating filters, you can namely be considerably more structure in your inbox, without lifting a finger. Imagine the time you save by getting your incoming mail is sorted into different folders, completely automatically. Firstly, perhaps it is not so easy to find among their emails if you just let them lie in their inbox. Secondly, it may be a growing stressor to feel overwhelmed by all the emails that never seems to end. The fewer emails in my inbox, the less pressured, I feel anyway. Below I describe some examples of when it is a good idea to make use out of the filter and as usual you will find information on how to perform the tips my web links in the right column.

Get your mail sorted

Some emails are important and more urgent than others, such as if you get an alarm or orders via email. And probably, you also get a few other emails on the other hand that is not as urgent to read now once, but you can wait to read at a later time, as this mailing perhaps. Likewise, it can be nice to get this mail sorted from the most frequently converse with. Some use the same email address for both their work and private. In that case, I would recommend you to filter out private contacts into a separate folder.
And if you get many calendar invitations or read receipts, it might be nice to also get them to a separate folder.

Mark read / with tag / flag

For example if you have already created a filter to sort the less urgent emails to a separate folder, you can edit the filter, and add a further rule. That is a rule that simultaneously marks the email as already read when you receive it. Then, read the e-mails later when you have time and you do not feel stressed about having so many unread emails.

In order not to drown in folders, you can for example gather all the newsletters / mailing in one folder, but get them marked with different labels, to easily see who is coming from which sender.

Forward to another email address

For example, you’ll be away from your office for a short time, and someone else will take care of your incoming email in the meantime. A filter may forward your email to one of your colleagues. You can select a copy of the mail will be saved in your account or that it is only forwarded.