Keeping your email organized is imperative, especially in corporate or small
business settings. When you use email for business purposes, you are essentially
handling customer files. Because of the importance of this for even the smallest
of businesses, those files should stay as organized as possible. You wouldn't just
lump all of your paper customer files into a corner would you? Most of us wouldn't,
so here are some ways to keep the email files (correspondence) organized as well.
If your business email inbox is currently cluttered with hundreds of old items,
set aside some time to clear it out. This first clearance may take several hours,
so you may want to delegate some weekend or evening time to tackle it.
Filing Methods
Before starting the actual filing of the items, you'll need to brainstorm your
organizational structure. If you do not have a solid contact management software
program, I strongly suggest investing in one. My preference is GoldMine, and I'll
explain why further on in this section. For now, you simply need to decide how you
work, and what filing system will work best for you personally. If you need help
coming up with filing and organizational ideas, here are a few popular ones:
1.Customer Name Folders - Create email folders that are named the same as your
customers. All email to or from a particular customer will be filed to that customer's
individual email folder. 2.Project Name Folders - If you work primarily with projects,
you can create email folders that match past, existing or future project names.
From there, you can file all email related to the project, regardless of who it
is to or from, into the corresponding project folder. 3.Month and Year Folders -
Create email folders that are named for each month and year. Then file all email
sent or received in that month/year into the matching folder. 4.Print File Cabinet
Mirror - Create email folders named to match your Print File Cabinet system. Then
file email into the email folders in the same way that you file print papers into
your hard copy system.
Once you have decided how you want to organize your email, set up the folders
and then go through each and every item in your inbox. This is the part that may
take hours so make sure you have set aside enough time to fully complete the job.
While you're sorting your messages, you may find several items that have not
yet been addressed but need to be. Try to address these before filing them, or make
a note on your calendar or to-do list. Alternatively, if your email system has the
capability, you can mark them for completion later. Be aware however: If you file
the messages away you are not likely to address them later unless you have something
scheduled that reminds you to. So, if you can, it is better to address them now
and get them out of the way.
If your email program has the ability to link messages to contacts, I strongly
suggest using this feature. This is the primary reason I use the GoldMine software.
With GoldMine, I can keep a running history for each and every person I come into
contact with. All email messages sent or received can be filed into the history
right along with the appointments, phone calls, faxes, project notes and any other
correspondence I have accumulated.
By utilizing contact management software that files email according to the person
whom the email is from or to, you do not have to continuously search through various
email folders when trying to find a specific item.
Ongoing Habits
Now, once you have spent the initial time needed to organize your inbox, it is
fairly easy to keep it organized from that point forward. It may take a bit of effort
to get into the habit in the first week or two, but usually the joy of having it
all cleaned out helps to motivate you into keeping it cleaned.
Excerpt from: "Don't Put Into Email Today What You Do Not Want to See on Headline
News Tomorrow" - A Guide To Effective And Professional Email Communication. Read
it free at http://www.sasezpublications.com/Reports/Effective-Email/
