Like most people, you probably spend a significant portion of your total Internet time per day managing email. Have you ever wondered if there is an easier method than the one you are doing now?
Fortunately, it exists, and it involves the use of a tool for efficient email management. Some are free, but others are premium options. We'll look at three of each below and see which ones are worth using.
Note: All of these tools work in your browser, and some also have mobile apps.
Sortd turns your Gmail messages into organized lists. It does this with a "smart layer" that resides in Gmail, which you can turn on or off as you please.
Make a to-do list and another for emails associated with certain topics. Just use the simple drag and drop function. Whatever list format you want, Sortd can help you achieve it.
The free version gives you four lists, and also offers the possibility of having up to 25 incomplete tasks in each one. It also provides a limited number of reminder emails and expiration date.
You can postpone some of your messages to reduce email stress. 6 Simple Tricks to Reduce Email Stress. 6 Simple Tricks to Reduce Email Stress. The best part of the day is dealing with email. No one ever said. Need all the tips you can get to manage your email inbox? We can help you! Read More Then if they arrive at an inopportune time, you can come back to them later.
The no-cost option for Sortd promises to be free forever, so don't worry about signing up now and receiving an email about a surprise fee later.
Download: sortd for iOS | Android (free, premium from $2/month per user)
When it comes to reminders or even birthday wishes, you may want to send a scheduled email. Boomerang integrates with Gmail to let you do just that, and much more.
It features follow-up reminders that encourage you to contact people who haven't responded. Boomerang also offers read receipts, taking the agony out of wondering if your recipient ignored your email.
Do you have trouble figuring out what to say in a particular situation? Answerable should help. It's a machine learning-assisted capability that uses data from millions of messages. Let him offer tips on tone, word choice, and more as you type.
There's also an ultra-handy Inbox Pause characteristic. While you're using it, you can stop new emails from coming in until you're ready to receive them. Then it's easy to sort your inbox before you reach them.
Download: Boomerang for Gmail on iOS | Android (free, premium from $5/month)
Yanado is another tool that combines your Gmail inbox with a list building option. Keep track of tasks in progress, things you've done, and responsibilities pending.
Custom status should fit any email workflow. There's also a way to list your ideas, so they never fall through the cracks.
A button built into the Gmail interface allows you to use Yanado to turn emails into tasks. Click on it and choose an option from the dropdown menu to add a task to a list .
Decide if you prefer traditional lists or lists made with Kanban-style cards. It is also possible to create sub-lists and tag your lists for faster identification later.
Yanado looks and feels like a built-in feature, too. You will receive notifications from Yanado directly in Gmail. Its use is not visually jarring, and there is no learning curve to understand it.
When you sign up for Yanado for free, the service allows you to create unlimited tasks and lists. The complementary version has a Reminders feature, too. Yanado adds reminders to Google Calendar as events, so you work with a familiar system.
Download: Yanado for Android (Free, premium from $6/month per user)
ActiveInbox is another service that combines to-do lists with email. This premium service offers reminders of existing tasks as you write an email.
Then you can see them at a glance and make sure the message has all the relevant details. ActiveInbox also has a “send it later” option, along with follow-up notifications.
The company initially offered a free version of its service but discontinued it. A representative explained that tests showed that people generally did not continue to use the product for free.
There is one Today also in your inbox, helping you focus on the most time-sensitive tasks. You can break down responsibilities into manageable segments and group them by person or project.
Take advantage of sub-lists Make big tasks less daunting. also, write notes About them to remember the crucial details. You can even put emails in project-based folders and keep track of them.
Download: ActiveInbox for iOS | Android (Premium starting at $4/month per user)
Like many of the other tools on this list, the Right Inbox offers scheduled emails, reminders, and notes. However, the service is distinguished by its recurring email feature. You can choose the frequency and time of day for the messages.
This is useful when you need to remind people to submit digital timesheets or invoices before a pay period. Also, if you're a peer mentor, you can use that feature to send regular check-ins.
Eliminating unnecessary steps is a great way to be more productive when managing emails. Recurring email functionality allows you to efficiently see how much time you could save with message templates.
There is a free version of Right Inbox, which allows you to send and schedule emails like a pro. How to send an email like a pro. How to send an email like a pro. set up your inbox, manage your emails, know when to check your emails, and more. Increasing email efficiency means... Read More However, it does not offer recurring messages.
Also, the add-on option isn't worth mentioning for another reason:It only allows you to send 10 emails per month. That's a severe limitation.
However, the premium plans allow you to use the correct Inbox as much as you need in a given month. You can also decide to pay monthly or opt for an annual billing cycle.
Download: Right Inbox (Premium starting at $6/mo)
Email organization tools. 5 Smart Email Apps for iPhone to Declutter and Organize Your Inbox. 5 Smart Email Apps for iPhone to Declutter and Organize Your Inbox. Life revolves around email, it's just not enough. Read more here covered so far gives you the power to do more with messages. SaneBox does that and goes one step further. It has smart algorithms that filter out unnecessary material and put it in a dedicated folder. Then you can watch it later if you want.
Also, train the algorithms with drag and drop Capabilities that move messages to the appropriate places. Put them in your priority mailbox or the one with things that are not urgent.
Another folder is available for newsletters and mailing list content. Create custom training folders , also. Trust them to teach algorithms to take other actions. You can move messages to the cloud or automatically forward them to another address.
SaneBox can also override your email spam filter when needed. Continuously monitors your message collection for junk. If there is something that seems important in its place, SaneBox puts it in another folder for your review.
What about messages from people you never want to hear from again? They go to the appropriately named. SaneBlackHole binder. Keep tabs on the SaneNoReplies folder, too. As you can imagine, it contains messages you've sent to people who haven't taken action yet.
Sanebox has three premium pricing tiers. The cheapest works with an email address. It allows 10 SaneReminders per month, giving you a heads up when people don't respond. That version also allows 10 monthly SaneAttachments, which automatically send the files included with the emails to your preferred cloud service.
Also, most of the folder-specific services above are optional features. You get one of them with the less expensive version of SaneBox. The other pricing plans offer more optional features and fewer quantity-based restrictions.
Download: SaneBox (Premium from $7/month)
When deciding whether to get a free plan or a premium service, consider these three factors:
Think about the intended use. If your Gmail inbox doubles as a to-do list and sounds appealing, an add-on plan is probably enough. The same is true if you simply want to focus on scheduled emails and receive targeted notifications.
Think about the volume of emails you send. Maybe you need to send a large number of emails several times a month. In that case, the Right Inbox recurring feature is probably worth it. It's part of a plan that costs as much as a great specialty coffee.
Think about the role of intelligent algorithms in your productivity.. SaneBox offers a lot of existing options and customizable features at a reasonable price. You can sign up for a monthly plan at first to test the waters. All SaneBox plans are available without obligation so you can cancel at any time.
Note, too, that the free plans covered here also have premium options. If you start using an add-on service that seems a bit short on features, upgrading is easy.
These tools transform your inbox from a time sink to a time saver by reducing stress with to-do lists and inbox overload. Email is not just about communication, it also largely dictates your to-do list. Let's talk about the best tips for linking your inbox to your productivity with Andy Mitchell, the founder of ActiveInbox. Read more . After using one, you might wonder why you stuck with standard email for so long.
