Quick Tips for Organising Mailbox Better

Everyday we get lot of emails in hundreds ranging from news, personal messages,RSS feeds, instant messages, social bookmarking links. This becomes a problem if the numbers keep growing on continuously. When someday if you have to find a important email how will you find it??? Here are some tips which might come handy in organizing your email archive. [May be some services like Gmail give you enough space and search feature but nothing makes you feel good watching your Inbox than organizing it ]

Searching or Filtering or Tagging :

These three are the important features which you can use in organizing your inbox. Search in inbox is sometimes but most of times comes up with lots of results. People who don't like to sit and organize their inbox mostly prefer this searching. Filtering is better than searching as filtering shows all same type of mails in one folder. It sends the mails to their respective folders and when you search in a folder, the accuracy of result will also become more. If you spare sometime everyday for this, you can feel comfortable in later times. Tagging is something like labeling the mails for search so that search can find faster.

Organize your Folders :

If you are into filing and foldering your mailbox, take the time to think about what’s the most important dimension of e-mail recall for you. One failing of most current e-mail applications is that any given message can only be filed in a single folder. So think about what you’re most likely to remember when you want to search a message in the future. If it’s the sender, you should build your hierarchy based on people. If it’s the project, then a set of project folders makes sense. Avoid starting to build a system where you have some folders for people and some for projects

Using Desktop Search :

If you are a windows better, there are some applications which can help you index your mail box like Google Desktop, Windows Desktop Search. If you are a MAC user you have spotlight there. For windows users they have to check which one of the applications is better for them as each of them differs in terms of usability, showing previews and ability to search faster.

Email Organising Software :

Programs like Nelson Email Organizer and Omea Pro (both for Microsoft Outlook) provide an indexing and filing layer on top of your regular e-mail application. Typically these programs add features such as the ability to file a single message in more than one folder , more thorough indexing, faster searching, and their own system of applying meta data to messages. ClearContext IMS Pro (also for Outlook) combines automatic project-based filing with a system like automatic prioritization system for incoming e-mails.

Organize your Sent Items :

If you’re a big sender, don’t neglect that huge folder full of sent items. It might make more sense to create individual Sent Items folders for each contact, and file the appropriate messages where they’re easy to find.
Use Virtual Folders :

Mail calls them Smart Mailboxes. Outlook calls them Search Folders. In either case, the aim is same. You can set up a folder whose contents depend on criteria you set, rather than messages you file in it. Obvious uses include folders for unread mail, old but unanswered mail, mail from particularly important people, and newsletters identified by subject line. Virtual folders are another good way to create the illusion that things are filed in more than one place.

A Final Destination :

There is always this way waiting for spam mails, junk ones, office jokes, news letters, RSS updates... in your mail box. Just select them and press delete and you are done. Mails which are important to you like your project related ones or a mail from your sweet heart can be saved and its better to delete the rest junk messages as they can be a havoc in long terms

If you have any suggestions on organizing the mail box please post it as a comment.