Yes, you can have peace with Gmail. One of the tedious tasks amongst all work is handling the Gmail inbox. There is no escape room, even during vacations. Lots of hacks are out on the net. I will write about a few things that have worked for me.
#Extension
Though there are a lot of themes out yet, nothing can beat the dark theme. The extension I use is Dark Reader, and if you’re not comfortable with extensions, you can try a dark theme in Gmail (Settings-Theme-View all-Dark-Save).
#Keyboard shortcuts
If you find it hard to navigate each message through touch or mouse, then keyboard shortcuts might help you. (Settings-See all settings-General-Scroll down-Enable keyboard shortcuts). There is an option for customized keyboard shortcuts as well.
#Unsubscribe
One of the best ways to decrease the count of receiving mail is by unsubscribing. Whenever we visit a website or e-commerce, our inbox will be flooded with promotions. Just unsubscribe. If you already have those types of emails, type the specific name, for example, Amazon, and select all and delete it (after unsubscribing). As an alternative to that, you can use separate mail just for shopping alone.
#Labels
Segregating emails with different labels will help you to find the emails when you need them the most. Create the labels based on the needs and give them a specific color. Spotting the colored labeled mail is easier than labeled mail. (Click on the three dots next to the label name – label name color – add the required color)
#Undo send
Sending out a long message might have errors (spelling mistakes, grammar, files missing, etc.). It would be nice to have “Delete for Everyone” (lol), but there is one thing that can be done. Unsend the mail as soon as you notice an error, but the maximum time limit is only 30 seconds (Settings-See all settings-General-Undo Send-Change it to 30 sec-Save).
#Inbox type
If there are 10x emails to be read, try the unread theme first. Use the keyboard key ” [ ” to read through the messages, and as you read through, change the labels with “L”. If it’s unwanted, then unsubscribe from it.
#Large-sized mail
Some of the mail might have attached files and could occupy a larger space. Clearing them out is the best way. Depending on the size of the mail, you can type “Larger: 15MB” in the search box and delete the unwanted.
#Signature
Typing the robotic phrases (Thanks for your time, Have a nice day, Have a great week ahead) might be harder when you have to do it for every message. Add all the robotic end phrases in the signature with enough space in between them (Settings-See all settings-General-Signature-Save changes).
#Separate mails
Lately, I have subscribed to a few newsletters that require more focus and attention. It was difficult to clear the inbox and spend a few minutes reading. I set up a separate email for newsletters so that I can spend less time worrying about unread mail.
#Tasks
This might be very helpful when you have frequent meetings and deadlines to be completed. When you receive a particular message regarding the deadline or a task to be completed on a future date, open the calendar on the side panel, and it automatically types the title and saves it for a reminder.
All these might look harder to follow, but once you get used to the keyboard shortcuts, clearing out the unread emails becomes easier. I personally follow them to avoid anxiety when I see unread emails.
Hope this helps!
Cheers!
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