How to Organize E-Mail

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By Andrew M
User-Submitted Article

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How to Organize E-Mail

In this article, you will learn an easy way to organize your e-mail.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Cluttered inbox
Patience
Willingness to organize e-mail

Step 1

Open the e-mail program. You now need to find the "Filters" button, which is in a different place in every e-mail program. In Mozilla Thunderbird, which will be used in this article (although most e-mail programs are similar), go to Tools --> Message Filters. This button will make it much easier to organize your e-mail.
Step 2

Furthermore, you also need to create folders and subfolders to sort your e-mail into. In Mozilla Thunderbird, right click on Inbox, and click "New Folder." To make a sub-folder, simply click on any other folder, right click, and click "New Folder".
Step 3

Now it's time to create the actual filters. I recommend having a single filter for each folder/subfolder you're sorting your e-mail into, because the fewer filters you have, the faster your e-mail client will sort. In Thunderbird, go to Message Filters --> New and create the filter there. You will be able to select different methods of filtering the e-mail, including sending address, receiving address, subject, and so on. Do whatever works best for you; if you keep getting varied e-mails from a single person, sort by sending address, and if you keep getting emails about a specific topic, sort by subject.
Step 4

You can also sort by multiple items, as well. In Thunderbird, all you must do is click the little plus button inside the New Filter window to add another filter criteria. Filter as much as you want - each helps organize your e-mail!
Step 5

Once you have your filters in place, you should run them on your inbox. In Thunderbird, this is done by navigating to your Inbox, and then selecting Tools ---> Run Filters on Folder. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!