Email Organization: Declutter Your Inbox!

It’s not just a person’s physical spaces that can accumulate clutter.

For many people, the email inbox is almost always flagged with unread messages. With multiple emails coming in daily, it’s no wonder they can begin to pile up to the point that there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Just when it looks like everything has been dealt with, there always seems to be more waiting at the top of the list.

Whether it is a personal inbox or work inbox, it can be extremely helpful to take the time to get the main inbox organized and establish a process for all incoming messages to prevent any more major pile ups. This way, people can stay on top of any incoming mail, increase their productivity, and find old messages or information need easily.

The first step to tackling the huge inbox of messages is to create a new folder labelled as the Storage Inbox. Transfer all the messages that are currently in the inbox into this folder. This helps start the inbox off fresh and clean so it will be easier to handle anything that comes in the meantime.

However, all those messages in the Storage Inbox can’t just be ignored. Think through what common themes there are amongst all the messages. For example, are there a lot of flyers and newsletters? Emails about a child’s school or sports team? Taxes? Whatever the categories are, use these to create new subfolders in the inbox. Start going through the messages in the Storage Inbox and begin to transfer them into the appropriate folder, creating any additional folders as needed. Utilize the tools and resources in the email platform to search for related messages, senders, and subjects to make this process easier and faster.

While this will help solve the problem of messages that are currently in the inbox, this problem will only continue if a solution is implemented for all new messages. Setting up smart inboxes or creating rules in the email account is a great way to ensure all incoming messages end up where they need to go. For example, all subscription emails can be set up to go to a specific folder (or even the junk folder if there are too many!) so they don’t just sit in the inbox and can easily be found if needed. These can even be organized by person if working on a project that needs to be managed from a specific person. For people renovating their home, consider adding the contractor, builder, or any other trades/professionals to a smart inbox so all the emails are always kept in one place.

The process may  be a bit time consuming at the start, but once the inbox is completely set-up, it will save a lot of time and effort in the future. An organized inbox can have a significant effect on organization in other areas of life – so why wait any longer?

Learn more about setting up an inbox the right way here (for Apple mail) and here (for Outlook mail).

Ready for Spring Cleaning? Make Your Checklist!

Spring is almost here! As with every year, that means it’s time to get your home and yard cleaned and organized after the long winter. In Calgary, it often feels like winter has never left us, but even one sunny day can be enough motivation for the warmer season ahead to get started on all the cleaning tasks needed to be done. 

While getting clean and organized always feels good at the end of the day, it can take a lot of energy and motivation to get started. Often, the number of tasks we know we need to get done can seem overwhelming. In cases like this, many of the activities we hope to accomplish end up not being completed, or we start something that we just don’t have the time or resources to finish.

This year, avoid falling short of your spring cleaning goals by creating an easy to manage checklist that will only ensure success. The key is to focus on breaking down the big picture tasks you want to do and breaking them down into easily-manageable activities that won’t take up an entire day. These activities should be easy to do in a couple hours or an afternoon and spread out over a longer period of time. This way, you can work towards one project at a time.

For example, if one of your spring cleaning goals it to organize the garage, don’t just leave it at that. There is so much involved in organizing and cleaning a garage, so try breaking it down into even smaller steps:

Organize the Garage

Declutter

• Go through all items currently in the garage.

• Sort through items (what is to keep, what is to donate, what is to sell, and what is to discard).

Cleaning

• Sweep the garage floor

• Spray out the garage floor.

• Wipe down any cupboards/containers.

Storage

• Create a plan for storing items.

• Purchase or re-purpose additional bins/shelves/hooks needed to store items.

• Put items away in their proper place.

Whatever your spring cleaning projects may be, breaking down everything that needs to be done can make the tasks more achievable and not so daunting. Plus, creating a checklist can also help you keep on track on what has been completed and what needs to be done so you don’t start a project without finishing it.

Before the season starts in earnest, take the time to create your spring cleaning checklist with everything you want to get accomplished. Even the most basic checklist can help make your projects simple, easy, and manageable!

Looking Ahead

It may seem hard to plan for the future when so much remains uncertain right now but thinking about what goals and plans you want to achieve for the next year or two ahead is definitely possible. Thinking about what you want to accomplish can help you remain optimistic and keep you focused on moving forward. Making firm plans may not be possible while so much remains up in the air, but there is nothing stopping you from imagining what you want to do once it is safe to do so again.

Whether it is getting together with friends or travelling to a place you have never been to before or taking part in an experience you have always meant to do, there is no limit to what you can start dreaming and imagining about. And while you have time, why not do what research and planning you can now? Consider looking online or reading about what it is you want to do or finding programs on television that can get you to start thinking and imagining what might be possible hopefully not too long into the future.

If there has been anything that you have always wanted to do but never had the time to do it before, start thinking about what you could do to make it a reality. While it may be some time yet before travel and some experiences are possible, there are things you can do now like reviewing travel vouchers you may have accumulated from cancelled trips or getting in shape through at-home exercises to do a marathon you’ve always wanted to do.

This doesn’t have to be something you do alone either. Challenge friends or family members to take these steps towards future goals and dreams along with you. Over your next video chat or group call don’t be afraid to talk about activities you are most looking forward to doing again and what can be done now. Have you and a friend always wanted to take a cooking class? While you wait to take one together in person, why not look for virtual classes you can take at the same time? Or, if you and girlfriends have always wanted to do a wine tour, why not take some time now to read up on the best places to visit, what you should do, and everything else you need to know beforehand?

Even though it may seem like the big goals and plans you had for the year ahead might not be possible, try to focus not on what you can’t do, but what you can do. It may be small tasks or activities like researching a country you’ve always meant to travel to or testing out recipes to one day serve to family and friends, these activities can keep you moving forward and looking ahead to what you have always wanted to do.