TST: Follow the Rules!

The Bible tells us to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:15-17), so I'm going to be posting tips every Tuesday on things you can do to save time. Unlike most resources, we all get the same amount of time, but we have to decide how we're going to spend it. If you have anything that you do to save time that you'd like to share, just let me know and I'll add them to the list.

Today's tip is a great way to save time when it comes to email. And the tip is to use Rules.

Every email client and most online webmail services offer a feature called Rules. You create a Rule and set parameters for email, and when you receive or send an email that meets those parameters, the Rule does whatever you tell it to do to that email. That means YOU don't have to do it, which helps save time.

One example of a good rule was sent in by reader Mandy. Mandy receives emails from Borders that have coupons. She has set up a rule that whenver these emails come in, the email is sent to her Borders folder and marked as read. This keeps her Inbox clean, and then, whenever she needs her Borders coupons, she just goes to her Borders folder and can check out the latest coupons. She can also easily delete older emails that contain expired coupons. So, instead of trying to keep an excess number of emails in her Inbox, Mandy uses rules to help cut down on clutter.

I use rules both at work (I use Microsoft Outlook) and for my personal email (I use Gmail, a web-based email service). At work, I have emails from certain departments or that contain certain words in the subject that go straight to my Deleted Items folder. I don't need to see those emails, so I get rid of them without ever having to touch them. This works well for work since I can't just Unsubscribe from those emails.

At home, I keep most of my emails sorted by subjects and/or who sent them. For example, I have a folder entitled "Clarinda" for all my emails from my lovely bride. Whenever I get an email from Clarinda, Gmail automatically labels it as "Clarinda". That way I can keep her stuff sorted and easy to find.

You can use Rules to do LOTS of stuff. Take a look at what your email client has for Rules and play around with them. They are pretty straightforward to set up, so don't be afraid to use them. You'll find you spend less time having to wade through useless emails and performing menial tasks if you use Rules to do it all for you.