If you are like most people, you may feel annoyed or even overwhelmed by your email inbox at sometimes, and you may feel excited or anticipatory by it at other times. For example, junk mail or demanding requests from work clients may be a source of stress in your inbox, but email invitations and messages from friends may be opened with eager anticipation.
Because email is such a critical method of communication today, it is essential that you stay on top of your messages. However, you do not have to do this alone. There are multiple resources available that can help you to better organize and manage your inbox in a time-efficient way.
1. Boomerang
Boomerang is an effective email management app that works with some of the most common email messaging platforms. You can access it on your desktop or on a mobile device. It lets you schedule when email messages will be sent and get read receipts on select messages. You can snooze some messages that you want to address later, and you can easily incorporate details from an email into your calendar. It is suitable for use with Outlook and Gmail.
2. FollowUp Then
FollowUp Then is an effective way to manage your to-do schedule, and it works with any email service that you may be using. You may currently be leaving your messages that require follow up at a later date to bog down your inbox. Some may get buried, and you may unintentionally forget about them altogether. This app works with any email that you send. You simply add a unique email in the BCC section indicating when you should follow up. At the indicated time, the app will send you a reminder to follow up with the specific email message that you linked the reminder to.
3. Unroll.me
Junk email and spam can clutter your email inbox. It can be a source of annoyance, and it may also cause you to accidently delete messages that are actually important. Through Unroll.me, you can see a list of all emails that you are subscribed to, and you can unsubscribe from those that you do not want to receive communication from any longer. It works with all email services on both android and Apple devices. This is a fast way to easily eliminate the stress associated with inbox management.
4. SaneBox
SaneBox is a robust tool that works with email applications like Gmail, Yahoo!, Outlook and others. You can better manage your email inbox with a BlackHole feature. Once you dump an email in this file, you will not receive any other messages from the same email address. There is no need to go through the effort of unsubscribing when you use this feature. You can also store attachments in the cloud, snooze emails, create calendar events, monitor who has not replied to you yet and more. You can download it to use with some email services, but it works seamlessly if you are already using Office 365.
5. IFTTT
Technology has improved lives in incredible ways, but you may feel as though your devices are not all paired for maximum effectiveness. With IFTTT, you can pair all devices for more efficient benefits. For example, you can use the app to order a pizza online and to turn the exterior lights linked to smart home technology so that the pizza guy can see your house number. It can link home devices, smart watches, cellphones and more. IFTTT is available to download on the Apple and Google stores.
When you think about organizing your life, starting with your inbox is a smart idea. This is often one of the more chaotic and stressful areas of life that affect you on a daily basis. It can be seemingly impossible to keep up with your inbox on your own, and the good news is that you do not have to do this alone. Spend time exploring the benefits and functionality of these apps and programs to find one that is most suitable for your needs. By implementing the right resources, you can easily organize this aspect of your life and move on to other areas that also require your attention.
Author bio: Ashley Wilson is a freelance writer interested in business, marketing, and tech topics. She has been known to reference Harry Potter quotes in casual conversation and enjoys baking homemade treats for her husband and their two felines, Lady and Gaga. You can reach Ashley on Twitter @ashleygwilson.
