I keep items neatly tucked into their appropriate places: file folders for all life's little documents, coupons in a drawstring pouch in my purse so I never leave home without them and take-out menus sorted in a cabinet.
But my online life is much different. My e-mail and Favorites tab could make me a candidate for A&E's Hoarders. I keep my work e-mail organized effectively but my personal accounts are different: I can't seem to keep them neat.
I try to use e-folders, but pretty soon there are too many e-folders to manage. I send myself links of articles I want to read, I sign up for store and e-newsletters and ... I hope you're seated: I have six e-mail accounts. And when I emptied my main account, I found lost invitations (one to go to the circus with friends!) and other e-mails I didn't see through the sea of craziness, and that's my real frustration.
So, what's the best way to keep your online home organized? I guess the first step should be to actually organize e-mail (note to self).
Microsoft lists some effective ways to organize your inbox. According to an article, they say to set aside time each day to go through and categorize e-mail. Organize into one of four categories:
- Delete it, self-explanatory but this option is also used to file items you're keeping for reference so they don't clutter your inbox
- Do it, especially if it'll take 2 minutes or less
- Delegate it, I don't know if this is an option unless you have a personal assistant, but I get the idea
- Defer it, schedule to do it at a later date. Don't forget to actually schedule or you'll forget like me!
An option to keep that Favorites tab clear is Delicious, a free social bookmarking site that allows users to organize, manage and search Web bookmarks. Count me in!
And the final step in organizing my e-mails is feeding them all into one inbox. This can be done through some providers, like Gmail and Microsoft Outlook.
All the tools are out there (and free!), so I should have a clutter-free inbox in no time!
Which areas of life are you unable to keep clutter free?
xoxo,
Lisa Marie