Feeling overwhelmed by emails in your inbox? Organize it all by creating folders and unsubscribing to unwanted messages. (iStockphoto)

As we explore ways that information can overload us, one of the top stressors is often email.  How do you get that beast under control?

Think back in time when people had to send you letters to ask you to do something. You would probably respond to those letters in the order that they arrived in the inbox that was sitting on the corner of your desk. You would probably also wait until you felt like responding. Email has changed that for us!

Here are 7 tips to help control the chaos that is your email inbox.

Schedule routine maintenance

Pick a time that works best for you to regularly respond to your emails. Turn off the noise and envelopes that indicate when you have new mail. On your phone, turn off the little circle with the number (known as a notification) and change your settings from “push” to “fetch.” That way, you get to decide when you want to work on email.

Prioritize the work

Try to avoid addressing your email as the first activity of your day. This will allow you to prioritize and set an intentional tone for your day. For example, if you begin work at 8 a.m. but wait until 9 a.m. to review your email, your first hour can be devoted to moving forward on an important project. Don’t allow your email to dictate your priorities for the day.

Keep your inbox fresh

This doesn’t necessarily mean empty it, but instead leave only that which needs your attention. If you receive junk email, delete it. If it is something you need to deal with at a later time, file it in a folder for that topic. Virtual clutter can be as distracting as actual clutter.

Organize it

Create folders for subjects that arise frequently. If you have a job that requires you to manage clients, it may be that each client gets a folder. If you’re retired, maybe each of your volunteer organizations has a folder, and each family member, one for doctors and one for finances. If you have physical file folders or virtual file folders on your computer, both at home and in your office, you may find that folders with matching names in your inbox will help you find what you need when you need it.

Follow the 2-minute rule

If it will take you less than two minutes to read and reply to an email, then you should just take care of it right now. The idea is that two minutes is less time than reading and filing it away to respond later. The “two-minute rule” is a concept from David Allen, author of Getting Things Done.

Use filters or rules

Every email management program is different, but they all have rules you can use to pre-sort your emails. For example, I may set a rule in Outlook that sends all emails from the Press-Enterprise to my News folder. Then, when I’m ready to read it, I know where to go. The news emails won’t be mixed in with my work, or messages that need my attention for a response.


Unsubscribe or discontinue email feeds for items you no longer read. Do this daily and taper off to weekly once you get unwanted email sources under control. You don’t need to take care of all of them at the same time; just make it a habit to regularly unsubscribe. Eventually, you will start to see less of the emails that cause the “busy-ness.”

Don’t strive for perfection, just work on maintenance.  Email is like laundry, it will never be finished.

Tami Sipos is a CPA and CFO of a privately held company in the Inland Empire. She has worked with families for over 20 years with their tax and financial planning issues. Reach her at

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