E-mail Archives • Using Time Wisely

Scheduling Time to Catch Up on Pending E-mail Items

August 8, 2012 by Tracy

How are your e-mail accounts holding up? For about a month, I have had about 10 e-mails in a pending status just because I needed a block of time to address the matters thoroughly.

Since I typically check e-mail 2 to 3 times a day, I kept these messages in my inbox. Seeing them everyday kept reminding me to address them, but time did not appear. Imagine that!

Though I still have my personal account that needs attention, I scheduled time while watching the Olympics to work through the pending e-mails in my Using Time Wisely e-mail account. Wow, I cannot remember the last time that inbox was empty. It was great downloading free e-books, updating affiliate links, and archiving reference material.

With so many e-mails coming through my accounts, keeping all my inboxes uncluttered frees up my time. Working on clearing out my business account inbox has motivated me to schedule my personal account tomorrow. Thankfully, the other 8 accounts have no pending items. Yeah!

For more on how I keep a clutter-free inbox, checkout step 1, step 2, step 3, and step 4 of my system. What works for me may not work for you. However, I hope by sharing my tips that you can receive order and organization in your busy lifestyle while using time wisely. Happy organizing!

Question: How many pending items remain in your inbox?

Junk E-mail Account – Part 2 of 2

August 31, 2011 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Keri J.)

Setting up a junk e-mail account keeps my personal items separate from coupons, deals, and newsletters. Last week, I explained why I have this account and how to setup a junk e-mail account in Yahoo!. In Part 2, I walk you through setting up a junk e-mail account in Gmail, another favorite free e-mailing provider.

To setup a junk e-mail account in Gmail:

1. Type www.gmail.com into your Internet browser

2. On the right side, click “Create an Account.”

3. Register for your new account

4. Fill in your name

5. Choose an e-mail name for this account – Remember your Desired Login Name. You will need this information to log back into your account.

6. Select a password and security question and answer

7. For the recovery e-mail address, I use my personal e-mail account. If I should forget the password to this account, I can reset it from my personal e-mail account.

8. Add your personal information

9. Complete the word verification

10. Read the Terms of Service

11. Click “I accept. Create my account”

12. Gmail will then congratulate you and send you a confirmation e-mail to your recovery e-mail account.

To go to your account:

1. Click on “Show me my account”

2. The site will redirect you to your new account

3. Your 3 welcome e-mails will be in your account

To log back in to your Gmail account:

1. Type www.gmail.com into your Internet browser

2. On the right sidebar, type your username and password, and click “Sign in”

3. The site will direct you to your account

Task completed! When you need to supply an e-mail address, you can now use this account to keep your personal e-mail account clutter-free. 🙂

In using time wisely, I save lots of time by having a junk e-mail account. Keeping a clutter-free inbox is an on-going task made a little easier when the important information comes to my personal account and the other items sit in a junk account. If you prefer separate accounts, then creating a Gmail junk account might assist you in using your time wisely.

Question: What is your favorite e-mail account provider? Please add your answer by clicking the “Leave your Comment” button.

Junk E-mail Account – Part 1 of 2

August 24, 2011 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Keri J.)

In using time wisely, I have setup my personal e-mail account for family, friends, payment notifications, daily deals (i.e., Groupon.com), and other information I desire to know quickly.

Since I keep my personal e-mail account open on my computer and laptop, I check my e-mail 5 or more times a day. I update this account each day by keeping it clutter-free.

For more tips on keeping your inbox clutter-free, you can read my four-step series: Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, and Step 4.

Since I request free products, print coupons, play sweepstakes (every once in a while), and submit rebates, I prefer to use another e-mail account for these items. When I request free products, I usually am also subscribing to a free newsletter and updates from that company.

To keep my personal e-mail inbox clutter-free, I use a junk e-mail account for correspondence that does not need my immediate attention. Then I check this junk e-mail account about once a week, deleting unnecessary items and reading items of interest.

My current personal and junk e-mail accounts are with Yahoo!, but I also like Google’s Gmail accounts. So, in Part 1 of this two-part series, we will setup a junk e-mail account in Yahoo!. In Part 2, we will use Gmail for a junk e-mail account. You can choose one or both depending on your needs.

To setup a junk e-mail account in Yahoo!:

1. Type www.yahoo.com into your Internet browser

2. Under the Search bar on the right side, click “New here? Sign up”

3. Register for your new account

4. Fill in your name and personal information

5. Choose an e-mail name for this account – Remember your Yahoo! ID. You will need this information to log back into your account.

6. For the alternate e-mail account, I use my personal e-mail address. If I should forget the password to this new account, I can reset it from my personal e-mail account.

7. Verify the code

8. Click “Create My Account”

9. Yahoo! will then congratulate you and send you a confirmation e-mail to your alternate e-mail account.

To go to your Yahoo! account:

1. Click on “Continue” after Ready to experience Yahoo!?

2. Your welcome e-mail will be in your account.

To log back in to Yahoo!:

1. Type www.yahoo.com into your Internet browser

2. Under the Search bar on the right side, click “Sign in”

3. Type your Yahoo! ID and password, and click “Sign in”

Now when you need to give out your e-mail address, you can use this account and keep your personal account clutter-free. 🙂

Having a junk e-mail account assists me in using time wisely. By keeping my accounts separate, I save time and energy getting the most important information in my personal account and using the junk account for items that are not time sensitive. If you struggle with a clutter-free inbox, then a junk e-mail account may be a solution for you.

Question: What do you think about having separate e-mail accounts? To add your answer, please click the Leave your Comment button.

A Clutter-Free Inbox – Step 4 of 4

March 30, 2011 by Tracy

If you have been following this series and applying STEP ONE, STEP TWO, and STEP THREE, then your inbox should house only those e-mails you need. In my personal e-mail account, I usually have a minimum of five e-mails each morning. I handle them the following way:

STEP FOUR:

Touching each remaining e-mail.

1. Click once on the e-mail. Since I have the preview option (located in the settings options) turned on, I can preview the e-mail on the screen.

2. I then read the e-mail.

If the message requires a quick response, I reply immediately.

If the message requires a lengthy response, then I click on the next e-mail message.

3. After I’m finished reading the e-mail, I will do one of the following:

Delete messages I do not need.

Move messages I need to keep to folders.

Leave the read e-mail in my inbox if further action is needed (i.e. need to add to calendar, respond, print, etc.)

By the time I touch each e-mail, I should have no more unread messages in my inbox. All messages have been read, deleted, filed, or spammed. My inbox is clean, organized, and manageable.

Starting out you might have a hundred or thousands of e-mails from which to sort. The 4-step process might seem cumbersome, but as the spam and unsubscribed messages disappear, the process becomes easier. If you spend 10-15 minutes each day following these 4 steps, then your inbox can quickly become clutter-free.

A Clutter-Free Inbox – Step 3 of 4

March 23, 2011 by Tracy

Are you making progress on your e-mail account? If you have way too many e-mails to weed through, you may just need to pick a date (i.e. February 1) from which to start. Then delete all e-mail prior to that date. You can then start fresh and work to stay on top of current messages.

In working through my e-mails each week, I am sharing how I work to keep my inbox clutter-free by following 4 steps. In case you missed the first two, you may read them by clicking the following links: STEP 1 and STEP 2. Today, I will cover Step 3: Identifying and Deleting Spam.

STEP 3:

Identifying and Deleting Spam.

1. As I scan through the remaining e-mails in my inbox, I look for names of senders that I don’t know.

2. I then look at the subject line. I notice the information listed (i.e. lottery winner, politics, employment, prescriptions, “free items with participation,” etc.).

3. If the e-mail subject line contains information that I will not even consider reading or researching, then I mark it. I click on the little box to the left of the message.

4. I continue to scroll through my e-mails marking all items from which I never want to receive e-mail messages again.

5. I then locate the SPAM button on the Title bar of my e-mail program. In Yahoo!, the button is identified as SPAM between the FORWARD and MOVE buttons. In Gmail (Google), the button reads REPORT SPAM between the ARCHIVE and DELETE buttons.

6. When I press the SPAM button, all those unwanted e-mails get sent to my SPAM folder. When I get more messages from those senders, my account will automatically send those messages to the SPAM folder. This action will help keep your inbox spam-free.

7. I will then delete my SPAM folder in Yahoo!. In Gmail, the spam is automatically deleted.

By the time I have deleted unneeded items (step 1), unsubscribed to sales and newsletters (step 2), and identified and deleted spam (step 3), I should have the messages I would like to read remaining in my inbox. Next week, I will conclude this series on keeping your inbox clutter-free.