Organize Your Inbox

Avoid having an inbox like this!

In the world of public relations, emails flood your inbox constantly from co-workers, clients, the media, venues, newsletters and of course, marketing emails from stores. It is easy to ignore your inbox for a day and come back to 300 unread messages. While this can be very overwhelming, there are some simple steps to filter through your inbox so you never lose important emails.

Set up  Various Folders

For all my emails, I have various folders. My school email has a folder for each semester and student organization I’m involved in. Once I get an email and know it needs to be saved I file it away in a folder for later reference. This clears out my inbox and makes it quick and easy to find the email later if I need it.

Star Important Emails

Starring important emails and leaving them in my inbox lets me know they need a quick response and keeps me from forgetting to reply or take action. I always star emails with deadlines like meetings, scholarships and contests then file or delete them after I replied or once the date has passed.

Unsubscribe from Lists

I have over five emails addresses and somehow get the same emails on several of them from newsletters and stores. I went through and unsubscribed from store emails for all but my primary email address to keep me from having to delete the same emails on four different accounts. It is also helpful to unsubscribe from lists that aren’t relevant to you anymore.

Form Habits

        

       The best way to take charge of your inbox is to keep up with it. Find a time such as on your commute into work or once you get home to delete non-important emails and reply to critical messages.

      After following these steps, your inbox should be a lot emptier and hassle free. For more tips and ticks, check out this article by Forbes on how to organize your inbox . 

     This blog post was written by PRowl Secretary Shaun Luberski.