The document provides tips for managing email backlogs and reducing incoming emails. It suggests searching by sender or keyword to find backlogs, going through drafts and emails before a cutoff date, deleting ridiculous emails without opening, processing emails daily, deleting emails after opening, unsubscribing relentlessly, and minimizing incoming emails to make management easier. The document is authored by Hampton Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

1. Image credit with thanks to my brave parallel partners in heroic dumpter-diving at
http://uniter.ca/view/787/

2. Find backlogs you’ll never get to
 Search by sender name * to see all emails from that
sender as a defined group:
* Note: Isaac sends good info, which is why he’s still one of my inbound approved
senders.
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012

3. Find backlogs you’ll never get to
 Search by sender name * to see all emails from that
sender as a defined group:
* Note: Isaac sends good info, which is why he’s still one of my inbound approved
senders.
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012

4. More on identifying backlogs
 Search by keyword* to see all emails related to a topic
you will be able to identify as no longer necessary:
* Note: We all have some topics that we get many emails on that are apt to get dated. If you
miss deleting a few as they come in, this will clean up extra emails in a jiffy!
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012

5. Open “Drafts” folder
 Go through any drafts* that may remain hanging.
*Note: I sometimes use drafts as a way to save a URL as a note to self. Not necessarily the best
use of drafts but can be handy if not working from your own computer.
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012

6. Use a “cut-off” date
 Decide upon a date beyond which emails will have
content that is no longer relevant or important
and go through these quickly, deleting rapidly any
that are not starred for retention.
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012

7. Hit “delete” for the absurd
 Delete without opening anything that looks ridiculous
and time consuming. (Next time, marketers will just
have to come up with a better subject line.)
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012

8. Use a “cut-off” date
 Decide upon a date beyond which emails will have
content that is no longer relevant or important
and go through these quickly, deleting rapidly any
that are not starred for retention.
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012

9. Going forward
 Set aside a designated time for
processing your new daily emails.
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012

10. Going forward
 When you click on a link, reply, or forward an
email: delete the message that you have just read
right then. Because...
 You will still have it in TRASH for a little while.
 If it’s something you are forwarding , you will have it
attached to your outgoing message in the OUT box.
(Make sure your email is set up this way.)
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012

11. Use UNSUBSCRIBE relentlessly!
 Look for the UNSUSCRIBE link in the footer.
 If they don’t have one, feel free to mark email as
SPAM.
* HINT: If it REALLY matters, you will find a way to rediscover and RE-subscribe. You won’t
miss these emails. (People with carefully built lists will HATE me for saying this.)
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing 2012

12. Think about minimizing your incoming
EMAIL so managing it is easier!
Creative Commons License ~ Hampton Marketing
2012