I think we’ve all been there before – over-committing to newsletter subscriptions. I’m deliberately using the word “commit” because that is essentially what we are doing with that email gift giver. And it’s a great thing. I receive so many inspirational // pretty // useful + helpful items in my email on a daily basis, I will not stop my subscribing habit anytime soon.
My inbox often reminds me of my nightstand. So much reading material and just not enough time. And it’s not a result of collecting “junk”. No way. I opted in to the glorious messages, therefore I need to get my stuff together.
Here is how to sift through the awesomeness and figure out a method to the inbox madness.
// Prioritize
Before you start moving and shifting things around in your inbox, figure out what you have subscribed to, and on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you adore each one. No need to whip out a pen and paper – just quickly review the subscriptions and prioritize the list in your head. If you want to get a bit more heavy-duty with this, consider grabbing that pen and paper and jot down the subscriptions you have in order of importance.
// Folders
Folders are awesome. Assigning rules and plopping those items into designated folders is a great way to keep everything neat and tidy. All you need to do is navigate to the folder and review. This is my favorite option because the folder possibilities are endless. Sort by category or newsletter name for greatest ease.
// Dedicated Email + Forwarding Option
If you have a ton of promotional and newsletter emails flowing into your inbox and it’s overriding the visibility of some slightly more important messages that get forced to the second page, consider a dedicated email for third-party subscriptions. Set up a forwarding notification and make sure the original is deleted in your personal email inbox. Sure, this gives you two email in-boxes to check, but your primary email will be slightly less cluttered and the dedicated email will allow you to separate the two “worlds”.
// The Unsubscribe
So, if you’re in real deep and it’s just getting overwhelming, think of the ones you can really let go and hit that unsubscribe button. It’s time to cut the cord. You will not hurt the email subscription’s feelings. In fact, by unsubscribing, you are helping that subscription list be better. It’s no fun to have a subscription list with all those folks that don’t open or click on the emails. You’ll be helping the overall health of that list.
What do you do to help keep everything organized and read within a year’s time frame? 🙂
