As a small business person you
rely on email. Your messages contain requests for work, invoices, client
questions, and more. It's only natural that you would spend a good portion of
your time working with your email messages.
But some of that time you spend
on email messages could be better spent. How many times have you searched your
Gmail inbox to find a lost message? Have you ever placed an email message in
the wrong label? Maybe you've even accidentally deleted an important message.
If you waste time dealing with all these email chores, you're not alone.
What if you could learn to spend
less time on your email and accomplish more at the same time? With Gmail, you
can organize your inbox to be more effective. You can improve your email inbox
so that you can find your messages quickly. You'll never have to worry about a
lost message again.
Everyone's email
needs are slightly different. Once you understand how Gmail works you can pick
and choose the features that work best for you.
What You'll Learn in This Gmail Inbox Organization Tutorial
In this tutorial, I explain how
to organize your Gmail inbox for maximum efficiency. I'll start by going over
some basic email concepts like folders, labels, and tabs. Then I'll provide you
with detailed instructions on how to use your Gmail inbox effectively by using
labels and tabs.
Before we begin, you may also wish to learn more about how to filter and block unwanted emails in Gmail or review this helpful email prioritization tutorial:
Communication
How to Prioritize The Emails You Respond To
David Masters
1. The
Difference Between a Label, a Folder, and a Tab in Gmail
Before
you can make the best use of your Gmail inbox,
you need to understand some basic concepts. Folders, Labels, and Tabs in email
have some similarities. But they also have some important differences. Let's look at each concept
separately.
1. What
is a Folder?
Many
email systems are folder-based. You create folders that work much like physical
cardboard folders that you might have in your office filing cabinet. In a
folder-based email system, you can use folders to store related messages.
Much
like the cardboard folders in your office, once an email message is placed in an
email folder that is the only place it can be. Gmail is not a folder-based
email system.
2.
What is a Label?
Gmail is a label-based email
system. Nearly everything you would normally consider a folder in other email
systems is a label in Gmail. That includes your Inbox, Trash, Spam, and Draft folders, which are technically labels in Gmail.
Labels
appear to the left in your Gmail screen. They also appear to the left of each
Gmail subject line in a closed Gmail message and below the subject line in an
open Gmail.
Labels are like folders in that
they can be used to group related messages. An important difference between
folders and labels is that a message can have more than one label.
Gmail labels have some handy
features. They can be color-coded, for example. Later, I'll show you how to use that
feature to organize your Gmail inbox.
There is also a way to use Gmail
labels like a folder. I'll also explain how to do that as well.
3. What
is a Tab?
The
final concept you need to understand before you can organize your Gmail inbox
is Tabs and the corresponding category labels. Categories appear on the left
side of your Gmail screen with the other labels. Tabs appear across the top of
your Gmail screen.
Gmail provides you with
pre-defined tabs for five categories:
Primary - This is where you will receive most of your
messages. When you open your Gmail, this tab is open.
Social - If you have social media notifications turned on or
use other social sites, those messages go here.
Promotions - Promotional email messages go into this tab and
sub-category.
Updates - Messages that are notifications such as receipts
and confirmations go here.
Forums - If you have forum notifications turned on, those
messages go here along with messages from discussion boards and mailing lists.
When you receive a message that
fits one of these five categories, Gmail automatically sends that message to
the appropriate tab and category label.
The message is also filed in the Categories label under the appropriate sub-label.
By default, messages sent to a tab
bypass your Primary message tab and your Inbox. So, if you want to see these messages check your other
tabs regularly.
Now that we understand what each
component of your inbox is, let's learn how to use them so that you can
organize Gmail.
2. How to Use Labels
Step 1. Create a Label
You can find the Label tools beneath the Circles label on the left sidebar of
the Gmail screen. You may need to click More
to see it.
To create a new
label, click the Create new label
option. The New Label box displays.
Type the name of
the label you are creating in the Please
enter a new label name field. If you wish to nest the new label under
another label, click the check box next to Nest
label under. Click on the arrow to the right of the field and select the
name of the label from the drop-down menu. Click the Create button to create your new label.
Step 2.
Apply a Label to an Email
To apply an
existing label to a new email, first open the email. Click the Label icon (it looks like a label) at
the top of the email to open a drop-down label menu.
Click
the name of the label you want to apply to the email. You can also click the Create
new option to open the New Label box and create a new label for the email.
Step 3.
Color Code a Label
A great way to
organize your inbox is to apply color-coding to the labels you create yourself.
This allows you to quickly see how messages are labeled at a glance.
As you pass your
cursor over the right of the label you want to apply color coding to, you'll
notice a small down arrow.
In the example above the new label,
Project
Merger, hasn't been color coded yet. To
color code it, I click the arrow to bring up a drop-down menu. Click the arrow
to the right of the Label color option to open the Label color palette.
Click the color of your choice to apply it to the label.
Step 4. How to
Manage Gmail Labels
At the bottom of the Labels sidebar you will find
the Manage Labels option. You may need to click More to see it.
If you click this
option, the Labels Settings screen displays. (You can also access the
Label Settings screen by clicking the Settings icon and then clicking
Settings>Labels or by clicking on the Labels icon at the top of an
open email message and clicking the Manage Labels option.)
Use the scroll bar on the right
side of the screen to scroll through the list of labels.
At the top of the Label Settings screen you'll see the System labels. These include labels the Gmail system has defined
for you such as your Inbox, Sent Mail, Drafts, Spam, and Trash.
Below the System labels you'll find the Categories labels. If you use Google+ social media, your social
circles appear below that. At the bottom, you'll see the labels you've added
yourself.
Beside each System label you'll see two or three options beneath the
heading Show in
label list. The first two options, show and hide, allow you to decide whether the message label
appears in the label list on the Gmail sidebar. If show is selected, the label is visible in the list. If hide is selected, it is not. Some labels have a third
option, show if
unread.
The Categories labels, Google+ circles, and the labels you've added yourself also have a
column for Show in
message list. You can show or hide messages with those labels. In addition, the labels you've added
yourself have an Actions column that allows you to remove a label or edit the label (rename it).
Step 5. How to Use Gmail Labels
Like Folders
Some labels are
already set up somewhat like folders. The Spam
label, for example, bypasses your Inbox
and Primary tab.
For most other
labels, use the Move to icon (it
looks like a folder) to use it like a folder. Start with an open message. Click
the Move to icon to display the Move to drop-down menu.
Select the label
you want to move the message to from the list. This moves the message from your
Inbox and Primary tab and into the label you chose.
Note: If the message has two labels the message will still appear under that
second label even though you used the Move
to drop-down menu to move it. In the example above, the message is labeled
Project ABC and Project Merger. If I use the Move to option to move it under Project Merger, it will still
appear in the Project ABC label. However, it will not appear in your Inbox.
Step 6.
Optimizing Your Gmail Inbox with Labels
Now that you
understand how to use labels, you can better organize your Gmail inbox by
incorporating the following features:
Add new labels to
group messages together.
Color code
important message labels to make them easy to find.
Hide message
labels that you don't need to see.
3. How to Use Tabs
Step 1. Disable
a Tab
You don't have to use the five default tabs in your Gmail
inbox. If you don't like them, you can disable them. (The only tab you cannot
disable is the Primary tab.)
To disable a tab, click on the Settings icon (it looks like a gear) in
the upper right corner of the Gmail screen. From the drop-down menu, click Configure inbox. The Select tabs to enable window displays.
To disable a tab, uncheck the
checkbox next to the tab and click the Save button. For me, it makes sense to uncheck the
checkbox next to the Forums tab. I don't have any forums notifications set up
and that tab is always empty.
Be careful, though. If you
disable a tab that is full of messages, those messages will display in your Inbox under the Primary tab.
To enable a tab that you've
disabled, return to the Select tabs to enable window and
recheck the checkbox next to the tab name. Click the Save button again.
Step 2. Show Starred Messages
from Tabs
You can also use the Select tabs to enable
window to display starred messages in your Inbox
under the Primary tab. This can keep
you from missing an important message that you want to follow up with.
To activate this feature, click the checkbox next to the Include starred in Primary option.
Click the Save button. De-activate
the feature by unclicking the checkbox and clicking the Save button again.
Step 3.
Optimizing your Gmail Inbox with Tabs
How can
understanding tabs help you configure your Gmail inbox?
First, you can
disable any tabs you aren't currently using for a less cluttered inbox. Some users dislike the tabs feature and disable all the tabs except
for the Primary tab.
Next, you can use
the Show Starred Messages feature to
mark messages that you want to follow up with. Once the feature is enabled,
starred messages appear in your Inbox where
you are less likely to forget about them.
4. How
to Use Inbox Settings to Convert to a Classic Inbox
If you are used
to an inbox without tabs, you can use the Inbox
Settings screen to set one up in Gmail.
Caution: If you're not used to a classic inbox, you may wish to skip over this
section.
Step 1.
Access the Inbox Settings Screen
To access the Inbox
Settings screen, start from the main Gmail screen. Click the Settings icon on the right. From the
drop-down menu, click Settings > Inbox.
The Inbox Settings screen appears.
As you can see,
the default includes the five default tabs.
Step 2. Change
Inbox Type
To restructure
your inbox type, click the down arrow next to the word Default. A drop-down menu displays.
All the options
on the drop-down menu other than Default
do away with the five default tabs.
Many classic
inboxes display unread messages at the top of the inbox. If this is what you
want, click the Unread first option
and click the Save Changes button.
The Unread messages display at the top of
your inbox in chronological order from newest to oldest. Below that is an inbox
section called Everything Else. Your
email inbox is effectively split into two sections.
The other non-default options
also split your inbox. Here is what you will see with each of those options:
Important first - At the top you will see
messages Gmail thinks are important. At the bottom, you will see Everything else.
Starred first - At the top you will see Starred messages. At the bottom, you will see Everything else.
Priority inbox - This option divides your inbox
into four sections. At the top you will see Important and unread messages. Next you will see Starred messages. The third section is left empty for you to
customize. At the bottom, you will see Everything else.
If you decide to return to the
Gmail default view, select Default from the drop-down menu and click the Save Changes button.
Step 3. How Inbox Settings Can
Help You
Moving away from
the default inbox settings can help you to use your inbox more effectively,
especially if you don't typically receive messages that would fit under one of
the default tabs.
Since all
messages that you haven't moved under a label are visible in your inbox, reconfiguring
the settings can help you find messages that might ordinarily have accidentally
been sorted into one of the tabs.
Reconfiguring
your inbox is probably not the best way to organize your email if you are on
lots of mailing lists, receive lots of social media notifications, or receive
lots of promotional emails.
5. How to Archive Files
One way to keep
your email inbox uncluttered is to archive old messages. Here's is what you
need to know about archiving messages in Gmail.
Step 1. Archive a Message
Archiving a
message is easy. Start from the main Gmail screen. Click the checkbox next to
the message or messages you want to archive.
A menu displays above the
messages. Click the Archive icon (it looks like a box). The selected message is
archived.
Step 2. Find Archived Messages
There are two
ways to find an archived message:
Use the Gmail Search Function - Gmail search results include archived messages.
To learn more about Gmail search, review this tutorial, How to Search Your Emails in Gmail Like a Pro.
Look in All
Mail Label - The All Mail label is exactly what it sounds like. A label that
is applied to all email.
The All Mail label is usually at the bottom of your label list. To
find your archived message in the All Mail label, go to the bottom of your Gmail sidebar. You
may need to click More to see it. Click All Mail. Scroll through the messages until you find the one
you are looking for.
Step 3. Unarchive a Message
If you
accidentally archive a message, you can return it to your inbox.
Open your All Mail label. Find the messages you
want to return to your inbox. Click the checkbox beside each message. Click the
Move to inbox icon above the
messages.
When you look at a conversation
in All Mail
after moving it to your Inbox,
note that an Inbox label (grey) has been applied to the messages.
Conclusion
You can organize your Gmail inbox
using Tabs and Labels. You can also configure your inbox in a way that works
best for you.
As a small business person who
uses Gmail, it's important to understand both the Gmail system and your own
email needs. Once you understand how Gmail works, you'll know how to organize your Gmail so that it is
most efficient for your needs. Learn more in our Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Using Gmail.