Okay, so one thing I get a bit tired of is junk mail/email! I am constantly shredding/tossing junk mail on a daily basis and now I noticed I have about 900 emails to clear out of our home email account. It just piles up on you! :yikes: I feel like I can't keep up! :help:

I miss the days when just your bills and nice letters from friends/family arrived in your mailbox. :D

Ever since I signed up for the Bridal Show, (never again, thank goodness) ;) I have gotten so much junk mail/email. It's crazy! :cookoo: (and that's just one example!)

So how you do you handle your junk mail/email? Do you keep up on it? What's the best way for you?

Kimberly

Scrap it all! 900 e-mails? Zap the lot - one go! Bam! Problem solved.

Here are a couple ideas.

First, start to read "Getting Things Done" by David Allen (GTD). Inbox Management is what a lot of this book is all about. Not just email but the inboxes in your life. Phone, Mail, eMail, Fax, etc... That is a good place to start.

Second, take advantage of your emails Junk Mail filter. When you get an email that is obviously from a junk source, right click and block either sender or domain. I block junk senders even if they call themselves my friend. Then I can later go back, if I have time, and sort through it all.

Next, unsubscribe. Most legitimate junk has a way to unsubscribe. It is easier in the moment to just delete and move on but over time you may delete thousands of emails from some companies and unsubscribing is a way to stop the madness. As an example, I subscribe to many tech web sites. I was recieving over 200 emails a day from these sources and NEVER did I read them. I was GOING to read them SOMEDAY but you know how that works. I unsubscribed and now I get 50 emails per day and most are legit.

Today, I have2 emails in my inbox I have to address. Using GTD has cleaned up that part of my life.

Give it a try

When I started all this cleanup (pre GTD) I had over 13,000 emails in all my inboxes combined. :yikes:

today, I have less than 10 in all my inboxes and they are managed several times a day

Scrap it all! 900 e-mails? Zap the lot - one go! Bam! Problem solved.I like that idea! Believe me, the thought did cross my mind. :D But there are quite a few emails I needed to save regarding the wedding, picture mail, ect...
So I am finally done with that project! Down to 11 emails now. :yippee: I deleted about 80% of it and then separated the rest into a few different folders.

My eyes are bugging out. :yikes: Whew...:o

Kimberly

Here are a couple ideas.

First, start to read "Getting Things Done" by David Allen (GTD). Inbox Management is what a lot of this book is all about. Not just email but the inboxes in your life. Phone, Mail, eMail, Fax, etc... That is a good place to start.

Second, take advantage of your emails Junk Mail filter. When you get an email that is obviously from a junk source, right click and block either sender or domain. I block junk senders even if they call themselves my friend. Then I can later go back, if I have time, and sort through it all.

Next, unsubscribe. Most legitimate junk has a way to unsubscribe. It is easier in the moment to just delete and move on but over time you may delete thousands of emails from some companies and unsubscribing is a way to stop the madness. As an example, I subscribe to many tech web sites. I was recieving over 200 emails a day from these sources and NEVER did I read them. I was GOING to read them SOMEDAY but you know how that works. I unsubscribed and now I get 50 emails per day and most are legit.

Today, I have2 emails in my inbox I have to address. Using GTD has cleaned up that part of my life.

Give it a try

When I started all this cleanup (pre GTD) I had over 13,000 emails in all my inboxes combined. :yikes:

today, I have less than 10 in all my inboxes and they are managed several times a dayAll excellent suggestions, thank you Scooter! It sounds like you are really organized! :cool:

I was thinking to myself, "why am I not unsubscribing to a lot of this junk email?" :hmm: So I am going to begin that process! That should help a lot. I will also start using the Junk Mail Filter. Good idea! :D I am at a point where no, I am NOT reading all of the motivational ezines I get....:p so I better decide what I actually like and am "reading", scrap & unsubscribe the rest!

I'll check out that book, thanks! :) It sounds like something I need to read because even my voice mails get out of control at times! :o

You've been a big help and I feel inspired. :lildevil:

Kimberly

Wow Kim. Ok for me it's really really simple. First off since I signed up with gmail, I never receive spam. They filter that for me. For legit junk email, its also very simple. One, I have a separate gmail account specifically for signing up for temp or not so important website things. I've signed up for so much website stuff that there's no way I could keep up with whats legit or not.

Last but not least, I delete an unwanted email as soon as I see it. Most I don't even open. Takes me about 2 seconds per day to do this.

Didn't your grandmother tell you never to give your real name to strangers? ;) :D

All excellent suggestions, thank you Scooter! It sounds like you are really organized! :cool:

:rofl: :biglaugh::rofl: :biglaugh::rofl: :biglaugh::rofl: :biglaugh:
I wish

I am at a point where no, I am NOT reading all of the motivational ezines I get....
Sometimes the overload is less than motivational ;)


You've been a big help and I feel inspired. :lildevil:

Kimberly
Any time I can help I will. Thanks

One way I stopped getting junk mail was to tell everyone that send me

Subject: "FW: FW: FW: This is funny"

type emails that I don't read them, they stopped sending them

I am at a point where no, I am NOT reading all of the motivational ezines I get

What would happen if you didn't read ANY? :yikes::yikes::yikes:

Serious question! Or maybe you batch a few and then look at them once a week and decide then which ones you would like to read and keep and which ones to not keep?

Do they really motivate you, or are they now becoming a drag on you? Something you feel you should read but don't have time. Would it be more motivating to cut them free and loosen those ties?

For many of us (I think this is probably true of a lot of us who have read a lot of stuff and listened to a lot of stuff) we actually know quite a lot, but the trick is the application and execution and not the head filling and learning and reading and knowing more. How many major earth shattering mind blowing insights have you had from what you have read this past week compared with say 30 mins of quiet introspection a day asking yourself some tough questions?

Just asking you know... :p

Wow Kim. Ok for me it's really really simple. First off since I signed up with gmail, I never receive spam. They filter that for me. For legit junk email, its also very simple. One, I have a separate gmail account specifically for signing up for temp or not so important website things. I've signed up for so much website stuff that there's no way I could keep up with whats legit or not.Don't think I want to sign up for gmail, but we do have a yahoo account that a lot of junk mail goes to. I've actually been able to keep up on that a lot easier...just delete it all! :lildevil: I'm starting to think we don't even need that account anymore. :hmm: Sounds like you have a good system set up for yourself. :cool:

Last but not least, I delete an unwanted email as soon as I see it. Most I don't even open. Takes me about 2 seconds per day to do this.Very smart...infact I started doing that today! :D Been meaning to for awhile, but I just let it pile up instead. :o

Didn't your grandmother tell you never to give your real name to strangers? ;) :DApparently not, smarty pants. :p

Kimberly

Originally Posted by KKPDX It sounds like you are really organized!

:rofl: :biglaugh::rofl: :biglaugh::rofl: :biglaugh::rofl: :biglaugh:
I wishOkay well maybe just with email. :lildevil:

:p

Kimberly

One way I stopped getting junk mail was to tell everyone that send me

Subject: "FW: FW: FW: This is funny"

type emails that I don't read them, they stopped sending themI did the same thing once and I felt like I offended some people. :hmm: I didn't say I didn't want to hear from them, just didn't want the junk email. :o I don't get too many anymore and the ones I do can be pretty funny. :D

Kimberly

I store correspondence in email because it's nicely indexed and easy to retrieve.

Don't overblow an issue that's probably not a big deal. 900 unread emails is nothing.

When I was learning computer programming about 10 years ago I subscribed to experts' mailing lists. at one point I counted 25,000 unread emails. Within a year or two those mailing lists switched over to online website storage (think of going to groups.yahoo.com) and I deleted all of those messages.

For a while I used to sign up for mailing lists only using my gmail account so the messages would go there. Now I don't sign up at all.

However, fixing the problem should not take more than about 30 minutes with another 30 minute follow-up in about a month.

I understand GTD, but in some ways I disagree with him on some issues that won't work in my life. When I ignore unimportant emails to complete large tasks, then people start calling me and eventually they complained to my client. Now I treat work emails with more respect even though it affects the delivery of large projects.

What would happen if you didn't read ANY? :yikes::yikes::yikes:That's a scary thought Paul. :eek: :D

Serious question! Or maybe you batch a few and then look at them once a week and decide then which ones you would like to read and keep and which ones to not keep?Yeah I've tried that, it doesn't always fly. :D

Do they really motivate you, or are they now becoming a drag on you? Something you feel you should read but don't have time. Would it be more motivating to cut them free and loosen those ties? Some motivate me..... but a lot of them are just repeats that I've read before. (Jim Rohn is guilty of doing this) ;) I will probably keep one ezine and call it good. I do enjoy reading them, especially the quotes and inspiring stories. :thumb:

For many of us (I think this is probably true of a lot of us who have read a lot of stuff and listened to a lot of stuff) we actually know quite a lot, but the trick is the application and execution and not the head filling and learning and reading and knowing more. How many major earth shattering mind blowing insights have you had from what you have read this past week compared with say 30 mins of quiet introspection a day asking yourself some tough questions? Bingo! That's kind of the point I'm at in my life.....I've read/learned a lot and now I'm just more about "doing." I've cut back recently on reading motivational books and listening to motivational cds- been busy DOING instead. I like it. :D I've purposely even dragged out some Fiction books and started reading those too. Feel like I'm missing out because I've been pretty wrapped up in motivational stuff. It will always be a part of my life, but not like before.

Just asking you know... :pI know....;)

Thanks Paul. :)

Kimberly

Don't overblow an issue that's probably not a big deal. 900 unread emails is nothing.Well actually, I was wrong. It ended up being around 1,200 emails. :yikes: And yeah, that's a lot of emails for me. ;) I don't want that many.

When I was learning computer programming about 10 years ago I subscribed to experts' mailing lists. at one point I counted 25,000 unread emails. Within a year or two those mailing lists switched over to online website storage (think of going to groups.yahoo.com) and I deleted all of those messages.

For a while I used to sign up for mailing lists only using my gmail account so the messages would go there. Now I don't sign up at all.

However, fixing the problem should not take more than about 30 minutes with another 30 minute follow-up in about a month.

I understand GTD, but in some ways I disagree with him on some issues that won't work in my life. When I ignore unimportant emails to complete large tasks, then people start calling me and eventually they complained to my client. Now I treat work emails with more respect even though it affects the delivery of large projects.I hear you SS, but I am going to try and really limit the email I get. I don't want to spend the time deleting it when there are other things I need to be doing. Just one less big task to take on, ya know? ;)

Thanks for the input! :)

Kimberly

I understand GTD, but in some ways I disagree with him on some issues that won't work in my life. When I ignore unimportant emails to complete large tasks, then people start calling me and eventually they complained to my client. Now I treat work emails with more respect even though it affects the delivery of large projects.

I don't think GTD says anything about ignoring anything. If anything you would empty your inbox and process your email so you know what is important or not and apply the 2 min rule as appropriate.

I don't think GTD says anything about ignoring anything. If anything you would empty your inbox and process your email so you know what is important or not and apply the 2 min rule as appropriate.

I agree, the way I process email or any other inbox is the same.
I immediately scan for junk and either unsubscribe or delete.
Then I start at the bottom bottom and one by one decide on appropriate action. I do not stop until I am cleaned out or I hit a 2 minute task. Those I clear immediately and move on.

Nothing is ignored in fact more attention is given at appropriate times rather than time allocated at inappropriate times.

Personally i get dressed up every saturday in my leopard skin thong and war paint , light a camp fire in my office, play mandingo on my speakers and do a little war dance followed by drinking the sacrificial blood of one of the neighbors cats that likes to walk on and scratch my car and make love wildly and with abandon o a local virgin ending in the pressing the delete button on everyone one to cleanse the system and the negativity on my soul............










































Oh ok seriously just delete em :)

Personally i get dressed up every saturday in my leopard skin thong and war paintPictures please....:lildevil:

:biglaugh:

Thanks for the laugh.....email isn't so serious anymore. :D

Kimberly

So ya'll haven't said what you do with your regular mail....you know all of the junk mail you get? :rolleyes: Do you toss it right away, get the shredder out, or let it pile up like I tend to do? :D

Anyone got a good system for that? ;)

Kimberly

i find it makes good toilet paper :thumb:

i find it makes good toilet paper :thumb:LMFAO. :D

Kimberly

So ya'll haven't said what you do with your regular mail....you know all of the junk mail you get? :rolleyes: Do you toss it right away, get the shredder out, or let it pile up like I tend to do? :D

Anyone got a good system for that? ;)

Kimberly

Yes I toss that out right away. I don't shred it, unless it has sensitive info. But like credit card offers and what not, I just rip in half and throw away. I once read a tip from an Organizing columnist that has proved very useful. Always sort your mail by the garbage can. Since my recycle can is in the garage that mail never sees the inside of the house. The rest of the mail I put in a plastic storage bin, you know like the ones you buy at Lowes. At the end of the year I bundle them up and put that away and start a new bin.

Organizing is one of my least favorite things to do, and also one of my weakest suits, so I have to make it as easy and simple as possible on myself. It's very easy to accumulate clutter, so I try to not have too much around me.


Hope that helps Miss Kimmy.

So ya'll haven't said what you do with your regular mail....you know all of the junk mail you get? :rolleyes: Do you toss it right away, get the shredder out, or let it pile up like I tend to do? :D

Anyone got a good system for that? ;)

Kimberly
GTD handles that as well ;)

I shred anything that might have personal information, recycle the rest as soon as I get it.
Then put what is left in the wifes inbox :D

Thanks Midas and Scooter! :)

I'm getting better in this area. I try to throw junk mail out (I rip it in half like you do Midas) ;) right away so it doesn't pile up on me and the read the important stuff as soon as possible. The rest gets thrown in a pile...:rolleyes: Way back when, I used a filing system for mail that seem to work okay...but haven't done that for awhile. :D

Kimberly

I am happy to report that I currently have a whopping 25 emails in my inbox. I've been great about keeping up on them, unsubscribing, ect... Wow does that feel good. :D :thumb:

Kimberly