This might seem like a big task, especially if you have never had a system in place, but here is a good way to start. This system assumes this is not your work emails, although a lot of it will still apply!
- Set up some folders to get organised and start moving your emails into them. You can always add an automated rule so they move magically by themselves:
- Newsletters
- Family
- Medical
- Hobby
- Whatever other categories you want
- What will you aim for when decluttering? Do you want inbox zero, or just keep your inbox under a certain number of emails. Mine is 50 and for me this is just emails that I’m going to action soon or need to wait for someone else’s input on, everything else should be actioned and filed quickly.
- If you have too many emails at the beginning of the exercise you can always move them all to a folder called ‘to sort’ and come back to them when you have more time. But if you do this, do be strict with yourself and deal with new things as they come in and do go back to the ‘to sort’ folder.
Good luck!