My email in-box is a nightmare. Currently, there are more than 200 messages sitting there. Waiting to be taken care of. Cluttering my life. Weighing me down.

When Kate messaged me and told me that she had an email organizing system she’d like to share as part of our blogger advice series I jumped right on it.

And Kate should know…She’s a blogger, a photographer and an ETSY shop owner.

How to Organize Your Email – Kate Eschbach

I use my email inbox as my to-do list.

That means I have to keep my email inbox clean, current and organized.

I like to keep my email between 20 and 40 messages.  If I have more than 40 emails in my list, I absolutely stress out.

How do I keep my inbox manageable?

Here is how I do it:

This is a snapshot of my actual inbox.  These are messages that I intend to DO something with.

The 10 second rule

When an email comes into my inbox, I give myself about 10 seconds to decide what to do with it.  I either:

• Delete it / Unsubscribe from the publication {We will talk about this more in a second}
• Move it to a folder I have created
• Keep it in my inbox – because I need to DO something

Delete it / Unsubscribe from the publication

A few weeks ago, I was having coffee with Life Made Lovely and she said the phrase “shopping from your inbox”.

Brilliant!

Yes, I do that.  It’s true.  I may have no intention of spending money at all that day, but a little email pops in my inbox and Ka-Blamo!  I spent $12 on the cutest scarf you have ever seen.

Do you do this?

It started innocently enough…

I subscribed to a few newsletters of friends that I thought had cute things.  I gave my email to the checkout person at Tuesday Morning.  Boom – my email was full of stuff.

Worse, my email was full of the temptation to spend money.

I took one hour a few Saturdays ago and unsubscribed from everything.  Yes, EVERYTHING.

I still know where to find Tuesday Morning if I just have to stop by.  I know my friends Etsy shops.  I can find them.

BUT more importantly, I know myself.  I do not have the will power to say ‘no’ to every cute suggestion that comes into my inbox.  I like to support my friend’s shops.  I love to send gifts.  But now, I can do it when it is in my budget instead of in my email inbox.

Now my inbox is cleaner and I am saving some money.

How do you unsubscribe from newsletters?

Great question!

At the bottom of those emails should be some language about ‘unsubscribe’ or ‘opt out’.  Here is an example from my email…

Move it to a folder I have created

Some emails, I don’t want to delete, but I don’t need to DO anything with them.

I may keep a birth announcement in my inbox until I remember to send a card, but after that I move it to a folder.  I want to look at that cute face again, but now I know I can take it off my “to-do” list.

Here are a few folders that I have set up:

What folders would you create?

I hope these tips helped you!

Thanks for sharing such great tips Kate!