The email challenge

We all get too much email these days. Having an organized inbox is as important as an organized home for relieving stress. Here are some tips to get rid of the junk. I challenge you to take the next 30 days to get a handle on your inbox.

The biggest thing that clogs email is junk mail. You can make use of your junk filter to get rid of some of it, but as technology becomes more advanced, spammers find a way to break through. Depending upon which email platform you use, you may be able to block unwanted email senders. However, it seems like when you get rid of one spammer, five more pop up.

The next largest problem is companies who send emails on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis. If you buy a product online, you are often automatically added to that company’s mailing list. Usually, there is a check box that is already checked when you make your online purchase. Deselect it when you buy something so you will not be added to the mailing list. If you are already on one, you can unsubscribe.

Many companies put the unsubscribe information at the bottom of the email in smaller and/or gray type to make it harder to find. Legally, they are supposed to offer you a way to unsubscribe. If you use an iPhone to get email, when you look at the top of the email it says, “This message is from a mailing list” if the email is a subscription and you are able to unsubscribe right from your phone.

Another problem is not deleting emails once you answer them. If there is information that needs to be saved, you can create a folder to save important emails or download it as a file on your computer. This comes in handy if you get emails that you need to save for work. If there is nothing that needs to be saved, delete the email after you respond to it.

Take the next 30 days and get rid of the subscriptions you don’t need. Do you really need to be reminded twice a week that shoes, glasses, crafting supplies, photos, pet supplies or books are available online? No. If you need a pair of shoes, you can always go to the website. You do not need to constantly be alerted to these things. Once you reduce the number of emails you are receiving, and it can take a couple weeks to get the emails to stop, you will have an easier time keeping up with the deluge. And, you will be less likely to miss an important email that you really want to see.