Day 52 - Over 1000 Unread Messages ... HELP!!

The number of unread messages in my email inbox has been steadily building for months. Every time I check my mail I have to sort through the crap to get to the important and meaningful messages. 

It wastes time to sort through the unnecessary facebook notifications, daily horoscope reports, real estate happenings, one-day-deals, survey invites, weekly subscription newsletters... and the list goes on. I obviously do not need all this information constantly coming at me.

The cluttered inbox has been cluttering my mind

Over the last few days I have been steadily deleting

On every visit to my mail box - steadily deleting

Just a few more messages every day

Unsubscribing

Creating new folders to sort incoming messages

Deleting

Moving messages

And more deleting

I had over 1000 Unread Messages and no idea of how many unhighlighted read messages that were just sitting there waiting to be dealt with, when they should have been actioned and saved or deleted when they first arrived.

I'm pleased to say my mailbox is now clear.

This is what I did to manage my email:

• Used the Email Search Function when cleaning up my inbox to save scrolling through every single message.
• Used Email Filtering, and Labels to sort incoming mail into folders before it clutters up my inbox.
• Disabled Email Notifications. I don't need to be interrupted from my current task by a pop up that announces a new message and tempts me to go there.
• Set specific times to check email three times a day
• Made the decision to deal with each message when it arrives so it doesn't stay in my inbox forming a to-do list.
• Unsubscribed to all those unnecessary time wasting daily or weekly updates.

Crap Cleared: Lots and lots and lots of emails from my inbox.

Observations:

I don't want to reinvent the wheel.

I could have gone searching for tips on How To Manage Email and devised my own Email Clearing Method. But that would just be a regurgitation of information already out there, which I see so many people doing.

Or I could have created links to other websites where there are great Tips for Managing your Email.

But that's not what I'm about.

I'm clearing my crap and if others are ready to clear theirs, then they will search to find the decluttering tips that they need.

I am resisting the Professional Organisers pathway and I'm not sure why. But I am sure that my true pathway will continue to unfold as I progress on this challenge.

I'm designing my own wheel.

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