declutter your inbox in 5 SIMPLE steps

in today's world, our lives and our workdays are filled with what I like to call "electronic paper clutter" or all the e-mails, files, pictures and other documents that clutter your computer and your inbox. Although electronic clutter may not take up space on your desk, it will still clutter your work day and make it more difficult for you to find what you need on your computer or in your e-mail.

Just as organizing your physical papers is important, both for your sanity and your productivity, organizing your electronic papers might be even more important because you aren't able to quickly flip through a big pile of papers...you have to search through each file on your computer and hope to find what you need.

This is DAY 3 of our Week-Long Paper Management Marathon. Each day we will give you one more tip to get your paper clutter under control. Keep reading to learn more!

de-clutter you inbox in 5 SIMPLE steps:
To begin, create files for your inbox relative to your life or your job (family, friends, coworkers, advertising, bills, receipts, subscriptions, etc) anything that you feel you need to properly file your e-mails.

1. scan your inbox and delete junk mail and any SPAM immediately
2. go through and skim e-mails you are not sure about. Delete the junk or take action if it is required...then delete the e-mail
3. read e-mails that require your attention and prioritize them. Reply to any with short, simple requests and delete or file them when they have been completed
4. deal with the remaining e-mails in your inbox and delete or file them as necessary. It's OK if they sit in your inbox for a couple of day but try to deal with them as soon as possible
5. each week, or even each day, delete all the messages in your trash bin, SPAM folder, and any other e-mails that don't need to be saved.
   

if you keep up proper maintenance and regularly delete your junk mail, your cluttered inbox will be a thing of the past!

For more tips on how to manage your paper clutter, visit my website at: www.andreadekker.com