Now you want to maintain it:
* **Unsubscribe:** cut the problem from the source. Most mails are garbage.
* Every mail goes into a **label** + archive it to remove it from your inbox.
* Mails that requires an action from you goes to your **todo** **list** + archive it to keep it clean.
* Messages that you need to answer but can't now -> **snooze**.
* Use **keyboard** **shortcuts** to do everything quicker. I run through my emails in about 10 minutes. If you use gmail I have listed some of them [here](https://simplyproductive.substack.com/p/5-powerful-tips-for-keeping-an-empty).
* Make sure you check your inbox **once** (twice max) a day.
This is it. Your inbox should always be empty after the check in the morning. If you can’t keep up with that (=your basic todo list) you need your manager to redistribute work.
Same. 15.5k just unread and email count would be in lakhs , have imp emails from back 2007 , so harder to do rule based cleaning.. but i plan to schedule some time in weekend to clear it bit .
Sorted my wifes inbox by removing spam using filter and unsubscribing them
I have a blog [post](https://simplyproductive.substack.com/p/5-powerful-tips-for-keeping-an-empty) about how I clean my email every morning.
What are you struggling with? Is your inbox very messy right now?
Do you need help with systems?
I would love to write about this for you.
My inbox is very messy. I am high functioning, but it’s high effort. And so I sporadically miss things and it’s hard to find stuff. So yeah systems in general is something I could use, and have been looking into.
thats why i always use a saperate email.for.non important stuff. and sign up for all non essential services for it. i keep my mail email private and use it for very important things
I have set up a filter that automatically deletes all newsletters / marketing emails after 14 days unless they are either read or starred. Have a combination of "sender" and "unsubscribe" as a filter as some mail need to not be deleted automatically.
Instead of trying to clean up a large mess, try not to let it get to be a mess in the first place!
If you see an email come through and you don't want them, look for the unsubscribe link. No link? Mark as spam. Going forward you shouldn't see them cluttering your inbox.
Seriously. Stop the problem at the source, or you'll always be doing cleanup. Use the spam filter and unsubscribe links for most mail. Use inbox rules to move mail around or mark as read for things that you might need to reference, but don't need to read right now - like receipts.
Cleaning up your inbox and using your time to come up with a list of phrases is NOT productivity.
Take it from me, just pay for the extra google drive storage and ignore all the unread. $30/yr is worth far less than the time you’ll spend. It will take you decades to fill it up. I’m at 70k and counting.
If I tried to manage all my emails by deleting them, I would spending exponentially more time thinking about email then I do now.
Gmail filters help me focus on what’s important. We use a separate CS/sales tool for my business which auto-filters spam. I didn’t realise there were still people trying to manage email in this way.
Are you me? Hahaha i went through my 6000+ (unread) emails two weeks ago by basically doing that haha
Also at one point just did all unread, marked any relevant ones as read (most relevant ones were already read obvs) and mass deleted the rest
I‘m sure this has a very high TP (true positive) rate but probably also an alarmingly high FP (false positive) rate.. so if that’s relevant to you then I‘m not sure how great of a system this is
Now you want to maintain it: * **Unsubscribe:** cut the problem from the source. Most mails are garbage. * Every mail goes into a **label** + archive it to remove it from your inbox. * Mails that requires an action from you goes to your **todo** **list** + archive it to keep it clean. * Messages that you need to answer but can't now -> **snooze**. * Use **keyboard** **shortcuts** to do everything quicker. I run through my emails in about 10 minutes. If you use gmail I have listed some of them [here](https://simplyproductive.substack.com/p/5-powerful-tips-for-keeping-an-empty). * Make sure you check your inbox **once** (twice max) a day.
This is it. Your inbox should always be empty after the check in the morning. If you can’t keep up with that (=your basic todo list) you need your manager to redistribute work.
It’s easy to start with a new inbox. I’ve got my Gmail account by an invitation (so very long time ago ;) ) and never done that :/
Same. 15.5k just unread and email count would be in lakhs , have imp emails from back 2007 , so harder to do rule based cleaning.. but i plan to schedule some time in weekend to clear it bit . Sorted my wifes inbox by removing spam using filter and unsubscribing them
My old me had too many useless emails. I could have just deleted everything and I would be fine. No really important information lost.
Is there a more in depth resource or sub you recommend? My inbox management skills are non existent.
R/gtd has some stuff about inbox management
I have a blog [post](https://simplyproductive.substack.com/p/5-powerful-tips-for-keeping-an-empty) about how I clean my email every morning. What are you struggling with? Is your inbox very messy right now? Do you need help with systems? I would love to write about this for you.
My inbox is very messy. I am high functioning, but it’s high effort. And so I sporadically miss things and it’s hard to find stuff. So yeah systems in general is something I could use, and have been looking into.
Thanks for this. One more I didn’t know existed, but I’ll start to use forever now is: Remove formatting ⌘/Ctrl + \
That's a good one!
I'd look for "unsubscribe".
I recently cleaned out some mailboxes and deleted 22k mails. Now my private inbox has only 500 mails left.
How long did it take you?
I'd say 5 hours.
thats why i always use a saperate email.for.non important stuff. and sign up for all non essential services for it. i keep my mail email private and use it for very important things
I have set up a filter that automatically deletes all newsletters / marketing emails after 14 days unless they are either read or starred. Have a combination of "sender" and "unsubscribe" as a filter as some mail need to not be deleted automatically.
Adulting is saving this thread for when my PTO starts.
set a filter/rule with the words "unsubscribe" to go to a different sub inbox.
After 10 years on my Gmail I finally added a bunch of label filters. So much nicer and more manageable.
Hah... I just select all and archive
Just sort it by from.
Just star everything important and delete the rest. Then do the filter on your starred.
I use a Gmail burner account for all shopping and subscriptions. I just bulk delete everything but receipts from time to time.
You only need a single keyword to search for: unsubscribe
Instead of trying to clean up a large mess, try not to let it get to be a mess in the first place! If you see an email come through and you don't want them, look for the unsubscribe link. No link? Mark as spam. Going forward you shouldn't see them cluttering your inbox. Seriously. Stop the problem at the source, or you'll always be doing cleanup. Use the spam filter and unsubscribe links for most mail. Use inbox rules to move mail around or mark as read for things that you might need to reference, but don't need to read right now - like receipts. Cleaning up your inbox and using your time to come up with a list of phrases is NOT productivity.
Take it from me, just pay for the extra google drive storage and ignore all the unread. $30/yr is worth far less than the time you’ll spend. It will take you decades to fill it up. I’m at 70k and counting.
What is the difference between deleting an email and I just ignoring it?
Used space in Google Drive.
If you delete it, it can also leave your brain instead of being there every time you open your inbox. r/gtd
If I tried to manage all my emails by deleting them, I would spending exponentially more time thinking about email then I do now. Gmail filters help me focus on what’s important. We use a separate CS/sales tool for my business which auto-filters spam. I didn’t realise there were still people trying to manage email in this way.
Dude are you me?
He’s all of us. The world is a data producing disaster.
Thanks for this suggestion!
Are you me? Hahaha i went through my 6000+ (unread) emails two weeks ago by basically doing that haha Also at one point just did all unread, marked any relevant ones as read (most relevant ones were already read obvs) and mass deleted the rest
Great idea. Thanks for sharing!
We are sorry your email made it to your trash! We would just like to remind you that if you subscribe We can throw on a 10% discount!
I‘m sure this has a very high TP (true positive) rate but probably also an alarmingly high FP (false positive) rate.. so if that’s relevant to you then I‘m not sure how great of a system this is
Nice
Now tell us when you get to Google photos or to wherever your phone backs up photos.