Conquer email overload and keep your inbox clean

---

#8 | 2 January 2025

Conquer email overload and keep your inbox clean

Do you ever worry about missing important messages or losing track of them? Or maybe you just want to be more efficient with your email.

See if the following method, or some of it, could help make your life easier. We’ll tackle this in 3 parts:

1. Once: Reset your inbox, set up automations, and check the recent backlog.

2. Ongoing: Manage your email in 3 buckets: Inbox, Unsubscribe, and Follow Up.

3. Optional: Clean out your backlog (or ignore it forever).

Part 1: Reset your inbox, set up automations, and check the recent backlog

If you’re familiar with your email interface and settings, this part will only take a few minutes to complete. I recommend taking these steps on a computer screen, not your phone.

1. Create 3 new folders (I like to use symbols or emojis in these names to help these folders stand out visually or keep them at the top in Gmail):

   • # Follow Up

   • # Unsubscribe

   • Backlog YYYY-MM-DD (today’s date)

     

2. Move ALL messages from your Inbox into the Backlog folder.

   • Be sure to look for a link such as “Select all messages” or “Select all conversations that match this search“ so you can move them all at once (rather than 50 or 100 at a time)

   • You may have to wait for the move to finish if you have a huge number of messages

   • In Gmail, if you have multiple inbox categories (which is common):

     • Move all messages from Primary into Backlog

     • Delete everything in Promotions and Social (old news!)

     • Move all messages from Updates into Backlog (or you can delete them all if you’re not concerned)

     • I also recommend: Open Settings (gear icon + See all settings), click the Inbox tab, change the Categories to Primary only (uncheck all other categories), and click Save Changes at the bottom

3. Create a rule or filter for all messages with the word “unsubscribe” to skip the inbox and go to your new Unsubscribe folder.*

   This will separate all NEW incoming email into 2 buckets:

   • (1) Individual/personal and non-promotional messages will go to your Inbox.

   • (2) Automated, promotional, and mass messages will go to Unsubscribe.

     • I’m aware that my newsletter will fall into this bucket and that’s okay!

     • You don’t need to unsubscribe from everything that lands here; the purpose is to keep these messages out of your Inbox

     • This separation is not perfect so you will need to check your Unsubscribe folder regularly for important messages such as verification codes, shipping notifications, account statements, and subscription renewals.

4. As soon as possible, skim through recent messages in your new Backlog folder (say a couple hundred, or the past month or two, depending on your comfort level) and move important messages back to your Inbox immediately. Then follow the steps in Part 2, below.

At this point, you should have an empty (or near-empty) Inbox, empty folders for Unsubscribe and Follow Up, and a Backlog folder with a lot of messages.

---

Part 2: Manage your email in 3 buckets

You now have 3 active buckets for your email: Inbox, Unsubscribe, and Follow Up.

You’ll find your highest-priority new/unread messages in your Inbox—unless you’re looking for something like a confirmation link or verification code to use immediately. Those will often land in Unsubscribe. Your highest-priority previously-read messages will be in Follow Up (because you put them there).

When you check your email, always check your Inbox and Unsubscribe. Messages you haven’t seen yet will be in these buckets. You’ll go to Follow Up when it’s time to complete tasks.

Handle each bucket as described below.

Inbox

Your email inbox is only for messages you’re seeing for the first time. Handle each and every message in this bucket, as follows:

1. Read (or skim) the message.

2. If the message requires a reply or action and you can do it now:

   1. Reply or action.

   2. File or delete the message.

      • Filing could be as simple as clicking Archive or it could involve moving the message to a new or existing folder

3. If you can’t reply or action immediately:

   1. Move the message to Follow Up where you’ll see it again.

      • Do NOT leave the message in your Inbox!

   2. Add critical or significant action items to a separate to-do list.

      • Replying to a message could fall into this category

   3. Put events on a calendar, if they’re not added automatically.

Your Inbox should be empty after following these steps.

Unsubscribe

Skim this bucket for important messages first, then handle any message(s) you choose, as follows.

When you open a message (you don’t have to open them all in one session), read or skim the message and take the following steps. You can leave unread messages in Unsubscribe until you’re prepared to do these steps.

If you no longer want these messages:

1. Look for the “unsubscribe” link (or similar) near the bottom and use it.

2. Take this opportunity to delete or file similar messages (this step will also reduce your backlog).

   • In Gmail, with the message open, click the 3 dots (right side of the toolbar), click Filter messages like these, then select all messages (you may need to click another link to select more) and delete or file them

   

   • In other email programs, use the search bar (or a filter) to search for messages from the sender or specific email address, then select all and delete or file them

If you still need or want these messages:

1. Action (if necessary).

2. Delete, move to Follow Up, or file elsewhere.

   • Don’t leave a read message in Unsubscribe

   • Only file a message if you plan to read or refer to it later

   • You may want to set up filters or rules to handle specific types of email automatically (for example: “transactions” and “receipts” could go to a “Money” folder)

Tip: Check the date of your oldest message in your Unsubscribe folder, and notice which ones you tend to ignore. If you don’t have time to read and handle ALL messages in this bucket each week (or month; pick a timeframe), it’s probably time to let go of some subscriptions.

Follow Up

Check this bucket when you need a reminder of action items and/or you have time to do the work. If you’ve already completed an action (because it was on your to-do list, for example), be sure to delete or file the related email message.

Make a point of handling items in Follow Up on a regular basis! Don’t let them pile up in this bucket.

---

Part 3: Clean out your backlog (or ignore it forever)

If you want or need to free up storage space, you can deal with old messages in your Backlog folder. Approach these messages similar to your Unsubscribe bucket. Use the key strategy to handle messages in bulk as much as possible.

You can start with messages at the top (most recent) and work down. For each message, find similar messages and decide their fate (such as delete or file elsewhere).

What do you think? Reply and let me know if you’ll try this method or if you have any questions about it.

If reading this on theowlsedge.ca, subscribers can log in and leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you.