If you’re just getting back to work after the holidays, your inbox is probably a jumble of unanswered emails. Despite the fact that video and chat services like Zoom and Slack are essential components of the workplace, email isn’t going away.
If you have a Gmail account, you are undoubtedly familiar with the fundamentals. Nonetheless, there are other Gmail features and tactics that you may have overlooked that might help you optimize your digital life. Did you know, for example, that there are third-party applications that operate with Google’s email service, such as Kiwi for Gmail, which combines numerous accounts in one app?
Even if you’re a regular Gmail user, here are 10 tools and techniques to help you work smarter, not harder.
Clean Up Your Inbox
Sometimes when I use the select-all-plus-delete combination extensively, my inbox quickly becomes out of control. Fortunately, there is another technique to sift through your inbox’s old digital weeds. If you’re positive that you don’t require any emails before a specific date, write “before: DD/MM/YYYY>” into the search bar and enter the desired date. This will filter your inbox, allowing you to remove outdated emails more effectively by using the select-all option.
Email Filters
With so many websites requesting your email address these days, your inbox may begin to resemble an overflowing garbage can. You might also wish to improve your email organization and prioritize emails from certain persons. Filters are extremely useful in this situation. Open Gmail, click the settings gear, and then select See All Settings to create a filter. Click Filters and Blocked Addresses > Create a New Filter from there.
You may tailor your filter to categorize emails based on sender, recipient, subject, keywords, and other criteria. When you’ve finished customizing it, click Create Filter.
Multiple Accounts Access
If you have more than one Gmail account, you may effortlessly switch between them. Simply click your profile symbol in the upper right corner of your screen (mobile or desktop) and select Add Another Account. Simply sign in from there, and you’ll be able to access it in the future by clicking your profile symbol. However, if you do not log in to one of the accounts on a regular basis, it will sign you out.
Simple Signature Creation
Setting up a signature in Gmail may save you time when writing messages and make your emails appear more professional. To add a signature to all incoming messages, navigate to Gmail > Settings gear > See All Settings. Scroll down until you find Signature and then click Create New. Any signatures you’ve generated will be available in Settings, where you may change or delete them whenever you want.
Undo Sent Message
If you’re anything like me, you’ve doubted yourself after pressing the Send button at least once. Fortunately, Gmail provides a function called Undo Send. After you push Send, a notice at the bottom of the screen will appear stating that the message was sent, but you may also Undo or View Message. Gmail will stop sending the message if you click Undo. You may also change the amount of time you have to cancel a message. Undo Send may be enabled by going to Settings > See All Settings and scrolling down to Undo Send. You may then specify a send cancellation window of 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds.
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Schedule Send
If you have coworkers or acquaintances in various time zones and don’t want to annoy them with an email reminder at strange hours, scheduling a message comes in useful. To schedule a message, simply input what you want to say, then click the small down arrow and select Schedule Send instead of Send. Gmail will suggest several times, but you may also enter a precise send time manually.
Smart Compose
Gmail’s Smart Compose feature functions similarly to predictive text and is intended to speed up the writing process. For example, if you type “I’ll call you,” Google Smart Compose will suggest “tomorrow.” Simply press Tab to accept the recommendation; otherwise, continue typing. If you don’t like Smart Compose, you can disable it in Settings.
Mute Conversations
We’ve all been caught in an email group that won’t go away. When this happens again, just open the annoying email, click the three-dot settings symbol directly over the email subject line, and pick Mute from the drop-down menu. If you accidentally click Unmute, you’ll have the same option as with Undo Send.
Spell Check
The spell-checking feature in Gmail can alleviate some of the tension associated with sending crucial emails. The spell checker can assist you with terms that you are unsure of, as well as basic hitches caused by typing too quickly. And if Gmail changes a word, it will leave it underlined so you may opt to cancel the change if you don’t like it. Gmail also contains grammar and autocorrect tools. Everything in Settings > Spell Check may be switched on or off.
Labels
Labels might help you keep track of your inbox. They’re similar to filters (and you can set up a filter to send an email to certain labels). Labels are located in the sidebar, among the Inbox, Sent, Junk, and other folders. Scroll down and click the Create New Label button. You may then name your label and create group labels from there. For example, if you’re organizing for school, the main label may be Biology Class, and you could combine labels concerning class projects and complete tasks together.