We know emails can get overwhelming, especially when you’re searching up and down for an email you might’ve missed or accidentally deleted. But don’t fret — there are a few simple ways to ensure that you don’t miss the important stuff.
We use our emails to communicate a lot — especially when it comes to work and business — and for the most part, it’s easy. But sometimes things get lost in the mix, deleted or simply skimmed over — and that’s when it becomes a problem. If you find yourself searching for emails you missed all too often, try these things:
Mark important contacts safe.
If you’re emailing back and forth with a new contact, you may find that your email carrier thinks those emails are spam. You can mark your important contacts as safe to make sure you never miss another email.
If you’re using Gmail, go to your spam folder, click on the most recent email you missed and then click “Not spam” at the top left corner. Then click the three dots in the right corner and select “Add [Name] to Contacts list” to make sure those emails always show up in your inbox.
You can do this using Outlook, too. Just choose “Not Junk” and then add that person to your “Safe Senders” list.
Utilize labels.
We know better than anyone that keeping emails organized can be a nightmare, especially when you’re communicating often with multiple clients and coworkers. It’s all too easy to let the emails pile up and search for what you need later. So what’s the solution? Organize as you go.
We love utilizing labels and filters, and it makes staying organized a breeze. There are lots of ways to do this, but one simple way to keep track is to create a label for each of your clients. That way, when you start an email thread, you can label it right off the bat and it’s easy to find later. All you have to do is click the name of the label, and all your emails with that specific client are at your fingertips.
Check your trash and spam folders.
When you’re dealing with lots of emails, it’s easy to accidentally trash an important one as you’re sifting through the not-so-important stuff, and it’s also common for emails from new contacts to automatically go to your spam folder.
Be sure to check these folders if you can’t find what you’re looking for. If you find the email in a folder it shouldn’t be in, just move it back to your inbox, label it accordingly and be sure to whitelist that contact so that emails from them don’t get lost again.
Most email carriers will automatically empty trash and spam folders after thirty days, so be sure to check this monthly.
Stop the problem before it starts.
If your inbox is overflowing, it’s only going to get harder to keep up. Another reason emails may not make it to your inbox is because you’re out of storage. Taking an hour or so to comb through your inbox, delete unnecessary emails and get organized will set you up for success in the long run. It may be a chore, but once you’ve done it, you can work the organization into your routine in the future and it won’t take as much time.
