This document provides tips for becoming a Gmail ninja by learning Gmail's features, shortcuts, and practicing repetition. The key features discussed are labels instead of folders for organizing emails, starring emails, filters to automatically sort emails, chat for messaging colleagues, and tasks to manage projects. Shortcuts like tab and enter to send messages and archive keys to quickly manage emails are recommended. The presenter emphasizes customizing Gmail with features in Labs and practicing techniques consistently to develop habits.

1. Becoming a Gmail NinjaPresentation by Gmail Master NinJamesGunaca

2. Why Gmail?It’s fast. Really fast.You can access it from any internet connected device.New releases are ongoing instead of every couple of years (and they’re free).You can make it yours.It’s the web, and that’s what we do.

3. Three Pillars for Gmail Ninjawesomeness1 Learn the features2 Learn the shortcuts3 Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

4. Learn the featuresLabels, not foldersStarsFiltersChatTasksWeb ClipsPriority InboxLabs

5. Labels, not folderzLabels do the work of folders, plus you can add more than one to a single message. Apply colors to labels to make it even easier to know what the e-mail is about with a quick glanceNinja tip: enable nested labels if you want sub categories within a label

6. Starz(not the movie channel)Mark a message with a Star to denote action required or anything else you deem appropriateNinja tip: you can enable “Superstars” in labs to give you up to 11 different star icons

7. Filterz, yoLet Gmail do the sorting for you. Create filters to automatically categorize incoming and/or outgoing mail to make it easier to navigate through your mailNinja tip: set up filters for e-mail from domains (ex: @24hourfit.com) so that all e-mail to/from that domain is automatically labeled something relevant

8. Chat(it ain’t just for smileys)Don’t clutter your inbox with simple messages like “where should we go to lunch” – just send a quick chat messageNinja tip: you can add more than 1 person to a chat to create a chat group

9. Tasks(because you gotta get sh!t done)Gmail comes with a built in task manager. Create task lists for different groups of tasks. Assign due dates that show up in your calendar. You can even access tasks on your mobile deviceNinja tip: you can create a task based off an e-mail and then that task will link to that e-mail message, even if you’ve archived it

10. Web ClipsGmail display feeds (news headlines and blog posts), and other information in the Web Clips section atop your inbox. You can customize yours by clicking the "Web Clips" tab in Settings.

11. Priority Inboxhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nt3gE9dGHQ

12. Labs(Grab your coat)Labs has a ton of cool features that can be added to GmailSneak peakMultiple InboxesGadgets (Docs, Calendar)Previews (Maps, Yelp, YouTube, Picasa)Send & ArchiveUnread message faviconUndo send!Background send!

13. Learn the shortcutsKeyboard shortcuts are going to save you clicks and time. Enable them right away and you can always hit ? for a look at the available shortcutsStart simpleActionsComposeSearchArchiveReply / Reply-to-allTab, enter to sendNavigatePrevious/next messageNewer/older conversationBack to inboxGet more complexGo to…Move to…Apply label…Ninja tip: you can program your own shortcuts if you feel so inclined!

14. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat(repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat)The key to getting better at anything is to force yourself to repeat the simple steps until they become habitual:Start off with a few keyboard shorcutsTab, enter to send messagese for archivingGet in the habit of setting up a filter. If you do a certain search frequently, turn it into a filter and apply a label to those search resultsStay up to date on the latest in Gmail by visiting the Gmail blog http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/

15. What NinJames usesMultiple inboxesMy inbox is for action-related messages only. As soon as I’m done with a task related to an e-mail, the thread is archived. I keep the ten latest unread messages up topFilterzI use over 50 filters to sort almost all of my incoming mail. Most are just related to the client or company a message relates toI setup one filter for the domain (ex: @24hourfit.com) and one filter for the contents (any mention of “24HF” in message contents)ShortcutzThe shortcuts I use the most:[ or ] for archive and next/previous to get through mail quickly and clean my inbox# for deleting a messagee for returning to the inboxGadgetsGoogle Docs gadget for easy access to recently edited docsGoogle Calendar gadget so I can quickly pull up info on upcoming meetings (ex: dial-in info)

16. Any Questions? Ask a Ninja