How to Filter Emails in Gmail

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If you feel overwhelmed by all the emails that you’re getting each day and your inbox is getting cluttered and overloaded with messages, then using filters will enable you to spend more time focusing on those emails that require your attention.

A filter will apply automatic actions to messages as they arrive in your inbox.  Whether you want to mark your client emails as important, or move any newsletters you receive into a Read Later folder.  By organising your messages in this way, you can keep on top of your inbox with very little effort.

So read on or watch the video below to find out how to automatically filter emails in Gmail.

First of all, select the message that you want to filter.  Even if you want to apply the same filter to several messages, you only need to select one message to start with as there is an option to include other emails during the filtering process.

Once you’ve selected the message, then click on the More button at the top of the inbox and select Filter messages like these.

Choose the search criteria that you want to use to filter messages – you can do this by who the email is from or to, by what’s included in the subject header, and whether or not the message contains certain words or not.   Then click on link that says Create filter with this search.

Now you choose the action that you want to apply to the selected message.  For example, to automatically move a message into a folder as it arrives, you click the check box next to Skip the Inbox and then Apply the label and select the appropriate label name from the dropdown box.

This is also where you have the option to apply this filter to other relevant emails.  Just click the check box next to where it says  Also apply to xx matching messages.

Once this is done, then click on Create filter.  You will be taken back to the inbox and if you click on the Label name, you will see the emails have moved into that folder.  From now on, any messages that you receive that match these criteria will automatically land in that folder.

To edit any filters that you have set up then click on the Filter tab in the Settings menu.

Now that you know how to filter emails in Gmail, you can have more time to deal with the important messages that land in your inbox.
 

If you want to get more tips on how to manage your time and work effectively in your business, then download a copy of our guide “How to organise your workload so there’s more time for you“. This guide is packed full of time management tips as well as 10 online tools to help you work more productively. Click on the link to download the guide >> How to organise your workload
 

How Gmail Boomerang Can Manage Your Email Messages

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Although I’m pretty good at keeping my inbox under control, there are times when it’s full of emails that I don’t need to take action on now but will need to respond to sometime in the future.  Obviously I can add them to my tasks list to get a reminder to follow up (see my separate blog “How to Flag an Email in Gmail”).  However, there is an application that you can add to Gmail to make it even better at managing your email messages and it’s called Gmail Boomerang.

Gmail Boomerang does two things:  Temporarily archives emails and then brings them back into the inbox at a date and time set by you.  And allows you to schedule when emails get sent so if you’re typing an email at 10 o’clock at night but don’t want it to go out until 10 o’clock the next morning then you can set the time and date in Boomerang for it to be sent.

I use it for emails that I need to take action on so I’ll schedule the email to boomerang back into my inbox a couple of days before the deadline is due.  It’s also good for reminding me about invites to events – if I’m not sure that I can attend then I’ll “boomerang” the invite to come back into my inbox a couple of days before the event when my schedule is much clearer; or if I need to bring tickets or other materials to the event, then again I can schedule the email to pop up the day before as a reminder.  In fact Boomerang will pick up any dates mentioned in the email message and automatically suggest them as the date to follow up.

Also, any emails that you schedule are temporarily archived in a separate folder called Boomerang which is automatically created when you download the application to your Gmail account.   So if you need to access the emails before they are due to bounce back into your inbox, you can do so by opening the folder label as normal.

Using Boomerang for Gmail means that I can manage my inbox far more easily and don’t have to worry about missing deadlines or not following up on important emails.  So if you’re using Gmail to manage your emails then I would strongly suggest that you give it a try – it’s a brilliant time saving tool!

How to Flag an Email in Gmail

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If you’re someone who keeps missing urgent deadlines because your important emails are getting lost in your inbox, then you know how potentially damaging this can be to your business.

One way round this is to add reminders to any email messages that require action on your part and you can do this very easily in Gmail.  This enables you to keep track of upcoming deadlines so you can plan your workload more effectively.

Now if you have ever used Outlook then you know that one of the great features is the Flag option in the inbox which you can use to quickly add a reminder to email messages as you receive them.  Unfortunately Gmail doesn’t give you the option to flag an email in this way, but you can get round this by adding emails to your task list.

So here’s a quick guide on how to add reminders to your email messages in Gmail.

• You select the email message that you want to flag and click on the More drop-down button at the top of the Inbox and then select Add to Tasks.
• The Task List appears and you can now edit the task by adding a due date and any additional notes, such as a reminder of what action you need to take.
• Now the email has been flagged, you can close the Task list as the task will appear in your Google Calendar on the due date as long as the Task calendar is displayed.
• When the task is due, just click to open it up on your calendar and then click on the “Related email” link.  This opens the email in your browser so you can review the message and remind yourself of what action you need to take.
• If you need to change the due date, then just drag the task to the appropriate day.
• Once you’ve completed the task, you can mark it as complete by clicking the check box, or open it up and click on Delete to remove it from the calendar.  Please note that this only deletes the task not the related email.

So now you know how to flag an email in Gmail and as you can see, it is a very quick and simple process.  Not only does this help you to keep on top of your inbox but it also ensures that you don’t overlook any urgent deadlines that need to be met.

If you want to discover how you can become more organised in your business then download a copy of our free guide “How to organise your workload so there’s more time for you”.  This guide contains essentials time management tips as well as 10 online tools that you can use to work more productively.

Top 5 Tips for Using GMail

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I started using GMail a few months ago after many years of using Outlook and I have to say that I now prefer it.  I can access my emails from any PC with an Internet connection and there are lots of features which make it really easy to use.  So if you are thinking about switching over, here are my top 5 tips for using GMail.

Prioritise your inbox. GMail has a feature called Priority Inbox which automatically sorts your inbox into 3 categories – Important and unread, Starred and Everything else.   Those categorised as “Important and unread” are usually emails only sent to you or have a certain subject line.   You can also flag emails by clicking on the star symbol at the left of each message line in the inbox.  These messages then appear under the Starred category.  Once emails in the “Important and unread” category have been opened, they then automatically move to “Everything else”, unless you star them.

Filter messages. If you find that your inbox is getting overloaded, then it’s a good idea to filter messages as you receive them.  To filter a message, open up the email and click on the “More actions” button and select the “Filter messages like these” option.  Specify the criteria that determine what to do with the message when it arrives in your inbox, and then click on the “Next step” button to choose the action that you want to take with those messages.  If there are other messages that meet the criteria then these will appear in the window below and you can apply the filter to these messages.

Organise messages with labels. You can also organise messages by creating folders, which are referred to as labels in GMail.  To create a label, select a message(s) and then click on the Labels button, select “Create new” and give the label a name.  Once the label has been created, it will appear on the left hand side of the inbox.  You can create nested labels (ie sub-folders) by going to Settings > Labs and then enabling the Nested Labels feature.

Add emails as tasks.  If you receive a message in GMail that you need to follow up on then you can add it to your task list.  Open the message, click on the More Actions button and then select “Add to Tasks”. The Tasks list will appear on the right hand side and you can edit to add a reminder date.  Go back to Calendar and hit the Refresh button and you’ll see the new task added to your list.

Personalise with a signature. It’s important to have a professional looking email signature that contains your business name and contact details.  You can set this up in GMail by going to Settings>General and then going down to the Signature option.  Type in your details in the box provided, format the text as appropriate – you can also add images and links – and then click on Save Changes.