Saving time with email

If you're like most folks, you have more than one email account floating around out there. I've got six. Why? I ask myself that very question all the time. Suffice it to say, I've recently taken it upon myself to get as organized as I can, primarily using Gmail.

If you don't have a Gmail account, I do recommend it. Just based on what they can offer you in terms of options thanks to Google Labs is great. One of these services that will help you cut your time down quickly is multiple inboxes.

This is different from labels, which I actually wish functioned more like the inboxes. Labels are basically a quick search default. Multiple inboxes are fantastic when combined with Superstars. This takes Google's "star" idea a bit further with different logos, such as red and yellow circles with exclams, a blue "i" info circle, and more. I'm not going to telll you how to organize these, because that's up to you. Put them in the order and use that makes the most sense to you. But make sure you dedicate your separate inboxes to those symbols and stay consistent in their use.

For instance:
Red exclam - Immediate Attention Required
Yellow exclam - Action required, non-immediate
Blue info - Archived for informational purposes
Orange arrows - forward, delegate, needs attention at some point

You get the idea here. I would imagine that nothing should sit for too long if you mark it with the red exclam. Make sure that when you assign your mailboxes that you get in the habit of using them. But I think you'll find once you sort things out for yourself, it will cut down on wasted time immeasurably!

Feel free to submit any other tips or ideas you have in the comments section for organizing your inbox.