Organize your mailbox

Organize your mailbox
(c) Copyright 2004 by Anna Sporring

How many times have you desperately been
searching through hundreds of emails, looking for
one specific piece of information. You know it's
there somewhere, but you just can't find it.
While you are looking you find loads of really
useful stuff you didn't even know you had. As
well as loads of crap!

This problem is getting way too common. The
information age is drowning us if we don't fight
back. To me this used to be a huge problem, but I
solved for myself! Now I want to share my system
with your, hoping it will prove useful.

The first thing you need to do is figure out a
system that works for you. I will give you some
ideas about filing, but if this is going to work,
you need to find a filing system that is logical
to YOU. To start with here is what I suggest. You
can modify the idea for yourself later.

I will assume your email software lets you create
folders. Most people these days are using Outlook
or a similar software. I you don't have such a
program then you need to save your important
emails to a folder-tree on your desktop.

First create a folder for the following:
'private' and 'work'. Inside these folders create
subfolders. I suggest for 'work': 'to do', 'to
read', 'to save', 'to use' and 'check later'.

For private I suggest you create one folder named
'family' and one named 'friends'. And possibly
one for whatever hobby you are in to. You get the
idea.

Now comes the really, really time consuming task.
But it's gotta be done, so roll up your sleeves
and get busy!

You need to read through EVERY email in your
inbox! I'm not kidding! You can skim the ones you
are absolutely sure you are not going to save.
Delete the ones you don't need. Then sort the
ones you want or need to save, into the
folder-tree you just created.

Once this job is done, you will never want to go
back to the old 'filing system' again. At least
you will not want to do this job one more than
once. So now it's up to you to keep you mail
organized. Don't let yourself slip back into old
habits, and you'll be fine.

Now, doesn't that feel good? You have done a
great job! Congratulations. No more looking for
missing information, no more frustration. Every
time you go through your daily emails, you know
exactly where to put them.

Do you know what you just did? You created
Freedom! Imagine all the time you freed up just
by organizing your information like this.

Go make yourself a really nice cup of coffee now,
or tea or a drink or whatever you like. You've
earned a break.

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PS. This article was written using Ezine Article
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Anna Sporring is an experienced writer and the
publisher of Oppstar Weekly - an eZine focusing
on helping you grow your opt-in list and your
business with your own newsletter. Subscribe
here: http://www.oppstar.com/subscribe.htm
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