Gmail is my favorite email client / service, by far. Free from the horror that is Outlook, Gmail offers a great way to organize and store your email online. No more worries about losing saved emails due to computer crashes, or remembering which computer your email is on. And the Gmail Labels function is fantastic.
Labels are better than folders
In Outlook, you organize your emails by folder. If you get a funny email from your parents, you have to decide if it goes in the “Funny” folder, or the “Family” folder. With Gmail, you simply tag it “funny” AND “family”, and then archive it. Poof, it’s gone from your inbox, and organized logically. It’s a brilliant system for keeping your inbox clear of clutter, and also keeping your emails easy to find.
Don’t create too many labels
Today I was sifting through my inbox and archiving away, when I realized something. I had been trading my inbox clutter for labels clutter. This morning, I had a total of 17 labels – far too many to really keep track of. Remember, Gmail has a fantastic search function built right in – there’s no need to separate things too distinctly. With just a few minutes work, re-labeling entire labels, I was able to cut down to just 8 labels.
That’s probably one too many, since I still have a label called “Misc.” I could just as easily just archive those emails, and still be able to find them with a search. Call me a chicken though, since I’m keeping it for now. Either way, cutting from 17 down to 8 is a huge improvement, and keeps my Gmail account that much cleaner. How many labels do you current have? How many could you cut down to?
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So how do you “combine labels”. Like a Dumbass I created “Internet Orders” and “Online Orders”. I just want the messages with both these labels to combine in to 1. There doesn’t seem to be much organizing tools related to labeling. No?
It’s actually easier than it seems. If you’re getting rid of “Internet Orders”, simply go to that label, and add the “Online Orders” label to all those emails. Then enter Gmail settings, go to Labels, and click Remove next to “Internet Orders”. Voila, now your previously splintered labels are combined.