6 Practical Tips to Organize Your Gmail Inbox

To this day, Gmail remains one of the most popular email services worldwide, with over 1.8 billion users. The number is significant, but it’s even more significant to compare the rise in the service’s popularity. Namely, in mid-2015, Gmail had just 900 million users.

Statista’s stats show that there were ca. 4.03 billion email users worldwide in 2020, meaning that Gmail users contribute to nearly 50% of overall email users. Finally, the population in 2020 numbered 7.8 billion people, 4.57 billion of which are email users.

In 2020, Gmail owned 43% of the email service market share, according to Email Client Market Share’s stats. In comparison, Yahoo! owned 26% and Outlook — only 6%. Finally, Gmail held 53% share of the US email market in 2020.

Why are these stats significant?

For one thing, they go to show that with this many Gmail users, you can leverage email marketing to get maximum ROI. Similarly, constant adjustments are necessary to keep these users interested. Not only does Google keep up with the trends (and often even creates them), but it also introduces new Gmail features from time to time. Some of them have stayed strong while others went by (remember Hangouts and Google+?).

For another, with billions of users worldwide (only in the U.S.A., some 246 million people are active Gmail users), the question of the service’s functionality looms supreme.

Let’s just scratch the surface here – with email marketing being the most affordable (and, if done right, the most efficient) type of advertising, all these billions of people are potentially endangered if they don’t want to browse through unwanted messages.

Organizing a Gmail inbox can be a cumbersome task for many people. Utilizing software tools to manage projects and tasks from Gmail can help you keep your inbox organized.  

However, Google has a couple of useful options handy that can help you reach zero inbox with ease and yet never miss an important message. Let’s take a look at some useful tips.

1. Remove Tabs You Don’t Need

For some, Gmail tabs are a welcome improvement; for others, they’re just a cosmetic change. It turns out, both groups are better off, given that the tabs can be customized and removed, as needed.

Disabling the tabs you don’t need is quite easy; the only one that cannot be removed is the Primary Tab. To disable any other tabs you won’t be using, go to Settings, then choose Configure Inbox from the dropdown menu. Simply select the tabs you want to disable (or enable — the process is reversible).

Keep in mind that messages that would appear in a disabled tab will end up in the Primary Tab.

2. Use Labels

Labels are a great way to organize your Gmail inbox, and a rather efficient one. The system is highly customizable and easy to use, making it a good solution for pretty much every Gmail user.

You can choose from existing labels, add new ones, and even create sub-labels using label maker software like Visme. You can also add colors to help distinguish between the labels at a glance and sort important emails, which is really a nice touch. 

3. Create Filters

There are probably many emails that you need to keep track of, but you don’t necessarily need to keep all emails in one place. 

So, if you don’t need to read them but don’t want to delete them, what do you do?

The answer is rather simple — create filters to redirect them elsewhere automatically. To do this, click the arrow pointing down in the search bar, then select the “create a new filter” option. Add the parameters for filtering, and you’re all set. Lastly, you’ll get to choose what the filter actually does. If you don’t want these emails to appear in your inbox, choose the “skip the inbox” option. The messages will automatically be archived.

4. Automate Emails

Automation is a quite useful option, especially in the case of Gmail users who receive large volumes of emails that need to be forwarded (e.g., to other team members). Forwarding is a time-consuming process and often confusing (when multiple recipients and replies are involved) and is by no means the only option.

Gmail automation is a better and easier option, which will allow you to specify conditions based on the type of emails to be automated.

5. Add Messages to Google Task

Converting emails into Google Tasks is a simple process but, for some reason, not many Gmail users are aware of this useful option.

Simply select the emails you want to add to a task, then click on the three dots (“More”) and choose “Add to Tasks.” Note that Gmail automatically adds a new task, using the subject line of the email, but you can rename it as you see fit.

The “Tasks” window will stay open unless you close it (click on the “X” button). Tasks can be reordered (drag and drop) and you can also add notes to them.

6. Archive Emails You Won’t Need

Many people fail to delete emails because they think they might need them later. With Gmail offering generous space this is not an issue in itself. However, if you receive large volumes of new messages daily, you’ll have difficulties finding the important ones.

The solution is simple. Archive the messages you think you’ll need to revisit in the future. In this way, they won’t appear in your inbox, but you will always be accessible.

Do this on a regular basis. Emails tend to pile up fast, so make archiving a habit.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are options and options when it comes to organizing your Gmail inbox and many of them are straightforward. What’s crucial here is to decide which emails you’ll prioritize, which ones will be automated, and which ones will be archived.

Google listens to customer feedback, meaning that you can expect new solutions popping up any time in the future, but even now there is a fair number of solutions to make your life easier immediately.

Make a draft strategy and customize a couple of options to see which combination suits you best.

Lastly, this is Google we’re talking about here, meaning that many services are integrated (tasks, calendar, etc.), meaning you can customize your inbox to suit your specific needs quite seamlessly. Take your time familiarizing yourself with the options if you haven’t already done so and you’ll soon realize that organizing your Gmail inbox is easier than you may have originally thought.