E-Mail Nirvana

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May I ask you a question? How many e-mails are currently in your inbox? How many across all your inboxes? Yeah, let's be honest, we are long past the time when people only had one e-mail. I mean, that's so 90's, right?

Of all the e-mails in your inboxes, how many are unread?

How you relate to your inbox and the e-mails in it (them) differs from one person to the next, so offering a one-size-fits-all formula is not a solution. Believe it or nor, for some people having an inbox bursting with unread e-mails is reassuring. For some people that little number (ok, in their case it's a HUGE number) in the red bubble is a source of satisfaction, much like a like counter in a social network. It can mean that they receive attention, that their time is wanted by an x amount of sources (people?), and that makes them feel good.

For others, the sole presence of a red bubble is a source of stress, because each number means a task, a request that needs to be checked, sorted and dealt with. Even the read e-mails in your inbox can be a source of stress, if you are like me and keep e-mails in the inbox until you have replied to them. Now, if you are like me and e-mails in your inbox irk you, then here are a few tips that have helped me through the years to deal with them. It doesn't mean that my inboxes are always  on 0, nor that I never get flooded - though admitedly, I never let e-mails go past the 50 mark, and that only happens when I haven't been checking for a good while. So, what can we do to tame the e-beast?

Tame the e-Beast

First of all, you need a filing system. This is best created with folders, even better if you can put folders inside folders. How do you do that? This is how I go about it:

1. In a piece of paper, write the most important areas for which you receive info in that given inbox. This is to give you an idea of the structure. For instance:

Work e-mail example:

• General Memos (from the CEO)
• Human Resources
• Main Job Tasks
• Secondary Job Tasks
• Important Job-Related Information
• Miscelaneous

This can give you an idea of how to start sorting the e-mails. No, it might not end up working this well, but it's a start.

2. Start at some point in your inbox, either by the first e-mail at the top of the pile, or the one at the very bottom. If there are many (more than 50), you may like to start at the top. Check the e-mail, and make the first decision:

• Is it important? If so, keep it. If not, delate it.

If you decided the e-mail is important, create a folder for it. You can leave it in the inbox if you still have to work with it, or you can file it away if you have dealt with it (downloaded the attached info, wrote the appointment in your calendar, moved the task to your to-do list, etc.). Some e-mail servers, like gmail, allow you to create a tab for each folder you create.

3. One by one, keep checking each e-mail and locating the folder you will eventually file it in. With the main structure of the first point, you can start creating sub-folders that help you organize better your e-mail.

Work e-mail example:

• General Memos (from the CEO)
• Finance
• Environmental Efforts
• Voluntary Opportunities
• Human Resources
• Pay checks
• Vacations
• Sick days
• Main Job Tasks
• Literature
• Literature 101
• Class Program
• Class Material
• Homework
• Tests
• Grades
• Medieval Literature
• Class Program
• Class Material
• Homework
• Tests
• Grades
• Research
• Schedules
• Sources
• Advances
• Secondary Job Tasks
• Teacher Meetings
• Important Job-Related Information
• Miscelaneous

See what I mean? Yes, it can grow chaotic, if you let it, but as long as you understand the logic and it works for you, it's all good.

4. Take your time. It can be cumbersome, and you might be flooded with e-mails from everywhere, but eventually you'll get there. Use slow moments of the day to go through the received e-mails and go on filing them. There's no hurry, and as long as you keep a constant effort, all is going to be well, and you'll get that coveted sense of control.

There's no need to erase all e-mails, as must of the current servers allow you to store them all, and by filing them you make sure you'll be able to find the ones you need easier.

Organizing your e-mails isn't the answer to all your prayers, and even these tips can go haywire for some, BUT it's a place to start, if yo feel like you would like to know where your info is, and not get greated each time you open your inbox with an avalanche of e-mails that mix important info with spam, work with personal stuff and so on.