Because of my blog and all the different virtual assistant jobs I’ve had over the years, I currently have a very long list of email addresses that all go into one gmail inbox!
And even though I get an alarming amount of emails every day, my inbox almost always has less than 5 emails when I “close shop” for the night (my goal is always zero emails… not always I reach it) , but often, I do!)
no, I don’t spend all day checking and replying to emails…and no, I don’t delete them without replying. instead, I use filters to automatically file my incoming emails into the appropriate folders; this way they don’t even show up in my inbox and I can respond to emails in batches when I have time.
For example, I get email notifications every time someone comments on my blog, and instead of having those emails cluttering up my inbox all day, I automatically forward (or filter) them to a separate folder labeled “tracing”. . then, at various times throughout the day, I take time to read those comments and respond as needed.
I also created a filter for each of my va jobs. this means that whenever I get an email for a particular job, it goes straight into that folder and I can handle all the emails at once, saving me a lot of time and keeping my inbox completely uncluttered.
If you’ve never done it before, here’s how to set up a filter in gmail:
step 1: access the “filters” tab
click the “gear” in the upper right corner of your inbox, then click “settings”. finally, click on “filters”. note: sometimes it will say “filters and blocked addresses”
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step 2: create your first filter
once you click on the “filters” tab, you should see a link towards the bottom (middle) of the window that says “create a new filter”. when you click on that link, the following form will appear.
fill in the information then click “create filter with this search”
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step 3: configure your filter
after you “create your filter”, another box will appear with options for your newly created filter.
I always click “skip inbox” so I don’t have to look at filtered emails until I’m ready.
Also, you’ll want to make sure to direct filtered email to one of your previously created tags.
For example, I direct all my blog comment emails to a “follow” tag. I direct all my work emails from VA to specific labels created for each of those jobs/clients.
I also check the “never spam” box because I don’t want to miss any of those important emails.
once you’ve configured the filter how you want it (you can always edit it later), click the blue “create filter” button.
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step 4: use your filters
once you have set up your filters, you will no longer receive those emails in your inbox; instead, they will go directly to the folders you specified in step 3 above.
however, you can easily tell when you have unread messages in any of your folders by the bold number to the right of the folder.
Once you have some unread emails in a specific folder, you can click on that folder and read, reply, archive or delete as needed.
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Step 5: Edit or remove filters
Once you’ve set up your filters, you can easily change, edit, or delete them at any time via the settings tab.
this is how to set up a filter in gmail!
I know setting them up might sound a bit complicated, but I promise you it won’t take long. and once you create a filter, the rest is much easier!
The main benefit for me is that I’m not staring at an inbox full of emails all day, I feel like I need to reply asap. instead, I pick and choose my email time based on when it works for my family, and I can handle my emails in an organized and efficient way.
In case you’re wondering, I usually respond to emails first thing in the morning before the kids wake up, during nap/break, when dave gets home from school, and after children go to bed.
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It helps that I can quickly check my emails throughout the day from my phone. if there is something super urgent, I can respond quickly; otherwise, I can think of the answers in my head and quickly write them down when I’m on the computer again.
I haven’t done exact calculations, but if I had to estimate, I’d guess my filters save me at least a full hour every day, probably more. plus, my inbox is always clutter-free, which psychologically makes me feel less stressed every time I check my email.