Let’s talk about email. While there are no set rules that you must follow, my job involves helping people in multiple environments with their email – and as our firm also hosts many entities email solutions, we learn a lot about what not to do – and what to do. And that means we need to work on saving time with email management.
Most of you are using email that is based on the IMAP protocol. What’s important about this is that when you delete an email locally, you also delete it on the server. If you keep the email locally, you’ll also keep it on the server. The key threat here is that if you keep all of your email, you’ll eventually run out of room. All email accounts only have a set level of storage, just as a hard drive does.
Learn what IMAP is and how it affects you.
As noted, the key is running out of room – called a quota in IMAP discussions.
We recommend moving older email off the IMAP server and into mail folders on your own hard disk (often called “local folders”). Here’s how to create a local mail folder using different email clients:
Thunderbird, Outlook Express, or Windows Mail (Vista)
-File Menu -> New -> Folder..
-Give the mailbox a name (i.e “archived mail”) and Create as a subfolder of “Local Folders”
Microsoft Outlook
-File Menu -> New -> Folder..
-Give the mailbox a name (i.e “archived mail”) and place the folder inside “Personal Folders”
Apple Mail
-Mailbox Menu -> New Mailbox..
-Give the mailbox a name (i.e “archived mail”) and set the location to “On My Mac”
NOTE: You can also set the mail folder to be within a specific account – just make certain the storage is local, not on the main server.
Remember that the Trash is just another IMAP mail folder. When you delete a message, the message is just moved into the Trash folder. We recommend setting your email software to empty the trash when you exit the email application.
Another issue involves workflow and the management of email that is inbound. I am a perfect example of someone who is totally wrong about how I manage my email. But I am recovering from this disability. I expect to be a recovered email manager by January 2nd.
Learn how to manage your email more effectively.
Note only will this help with efficiency, it will also help reduce space on your email server and on your local (in your computer) hard drive. So, use some of your upcoming holiday break time to become a more effective user of email. It can only make 2014 a more productive year.