Okay, so you have an e-mail inbox that’s just bursting at the seams with critical updates, immensely important notifications and e-newsletters that will eventually unlock the mysteries of the universe and set you on the path to eternal bliss. Nevertheless, it all makes for more of a mess than you’d like. Here are some suggestions for living with your White Spam:
- Create a separate email address – Have your work email go to your work email address; your personal email (friends, family, billers, service providers … etc.) go to another address; and other types of email (like newsletters, newsfeeds, social media notifications … etc.) go to yet another address. It’s easy to set up a free Web-based email account with Google mail, Yahoo … or others and use that address for anything that you suspect might not be top priority (White Spam). It could be your little treasure trove to visit and enjoy whenever you choose.
- Organize your email folders – Most email applications let you set up a virtually unlimited number of file folders. Create separate folders to accommodate the types of emails you receive. (You may be able to adjust your email filters to automatically have the email go to the right place.) This won’t lessen your email load, but at least it will look tidier and you’ll be able to find the important emails more easily.
- Unsubscribe – Yes, we know, vital information and all that, but just this once, indulge us. Organize your email by sender. Are you seeing a lot unopened emails from the same organizations? Or maybe they were opened, but the content was so unmemorable that now those messages don’t ring any bells. Now go ahead, unsubscribe to some of those. If, after a few weeks you’re missing them in your inbox, you can always sign up again.
- Look for a Website substitute – Often information sent via email is available online as well. If so, you could bookmark those pages and check them whenever you have the time, rather than feeling compelled to read the email as it appears in your inbox.
