gmail and chrome are your tools of choice?
If you answered with an enthusiastic “yes”, then I’m about to make your life a whole lot easier.
I’ve searched for some of the best chrome extensions to make email easier, faster, and even more fun!
check them out:
1. send an email later with the right inbox
maybe you have your best ideas on a Sunday night but don’t want to upset your boss. Or, you need to send the same email every Friday to ask your teammates to submit their expense reports.
The right inbox lets you write those messages whenever you want and then schedule them to be sent later, so you can work ahead of time and save time on your schedule.
2. automate your followup with followup.cc
I don’t know you personally, but I know you don’t like to look for answers to emails, because nobody does.
then why not let followup.cc take care of this for you? creates an email to send if a recipient doesn’t reply within a certain time. then, this extension handles the tracking. and, as a bonus, it will show you if someone has read your messages.
3. make plans faster with assistant.to
Wouldn’t you love to stop going back and forth trying to find a time to meet someone?
assistant.to to the rescue! just click the extension icon to choose the times you can meet and this app puts them in an easy-to-read list for the recipient to choose and automatically schedule the meeting in their google or outlook calendars.
4. stay on task with activeinbox
You’ve probably already realized that your inbox is great for receiving emails, but not so great for organizing your tasks for the day.
With activeinbox, you can turn your emails into tasks (complete with due dates) without ever leaving your inbox. and activeinbox works on mobile devices, so you’ll stay on top of your tasks wherever you are.
5. get organized with drag
Inspired by the system trello uses for organization, dragging transforms your inbox from an endless list of emails to three simple columns: “pending”, “in process” and “done”.
This way, you can easily see which messages have been addressed, which are in process, and which need to be addressed so you can plan your workday and be motivated by what you’ve accomplished.
6. bypass your inbox altogether with check plus for gmail
When your goal is to spend as little time as possible in your inbox, check out gmail to help you get there.
sits quietly in your menu bar waiting to display subtle and customizable email notifications right in your browser, so you can read, reply and delete messages right from the extension without having to open your inbox.
7. sound more authoritative with just not sorry
I’m definitely guilty of trying to soften my messages with kinder, less authoritative words. but I just don’t feel it it’s curing me of that.
The idea for this extension is based on female leadership expert Tara Mohr’s article, “Eight Ways Women Undermine Themselves With Their Words.” all you have to do is type your email, and underline any undermining phrases for you to remove or replace with a safer word.
8. pronounce your messages with email dictation
When you’re tired of typing or your hands are full (ie, when you’re driving to the office), try email dictation. click on your microphone icon in your gmail inbox and say whatever you want in your email. the extension converts your spoken words into written text in 32 different languages.
9. upload videos fast with clipchamp
If you need more than words to get your message across, clipchamp shoots videos directly to gmail, compresses them for quick upload, and sends them to email. it’s an easy and unique way to explain a complicated process to your colleague in a different time zone, or add a personal touch to a message for your client.
10. take advantage of keyboard shortcuts with keyrocket for gmail
you have command-c and command-v below for a quick copy and paste action. but are you taking advantage of keyboard shortcuts in gmail?
keyrocket for gmail recommends shortcuts while in your inbox to train you to use them more often and become a computer wizard.
11. customize your background with style
After staring at your same inbox day in and day out, a new look may be just what you need to inspire great productivity.
stylish is a huge library of user-created layouts for all kinds of websites, including gmail. With hundreds of options to choose from, there’s sure to be one to make email at least a little more pleasant to look at.
12. have fun with the email game
Instead of letting your inbox get you down, make it a good time.
The Email Game has you racing against the clock and the number of emails left in your inbox. It’s basic, but if you have the soul of a gamer, it could be the motivation you need to push your posts.
It’s time to stop avoiding your inbox. these extensions make it manageable and motivating to dig into your emails, and who knows, maybe you’ll even hit that mythical inbox zero you’ve been dreaming of.
And in case these don’t work for you, check out these revolutionary emails.