How to Organise Your Inbox
How to Organise Your Inbox
(So It Stops Running Your Life)
Let’s be honest, your inbox can feel a bit like that one messy kitchen drawer. Full of old receipts, random newsletters, and things you meant to deal with ages ago. If your inbox is the digital version of chaos, you’re not alone.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Your inbox is the beating heart of your business, it’s where invoices, new leads, client messages, supplier updates, staff questions, logins, and even opportunities land first. When it’s messy, things slip through the cracks. When it’s tidy, you’re back in control.
Here’s how to get your inbox in order, and keep it that way.
Why Your Inbox Is the Heart of Your Business
Your inbox isn’t just email, it’s one of your main command centre:
Invoices and bills that need paying
Client enquiries and new leads
Supplier updates, contracts, and paperwork
Staff messages and handovers
Logins and sign-ups for systems or tools
Opportunities, partnerships, collaborations
When you let it get out of hand, you end up drowning in admin instead of focusing on the work you actually love.
6 Practical Steps to Tidy Your Inbox
1. Unsubscribe Like a Pro
If you’re constantly deleting newsletters you never read, unsubscribe. Tools like Unroll me help, or just spend five minutes a day hitting “unsubscribe”. Future you will thank you.
2. Create Folders That Actually Work
Don’t overcomplicate it. Use simple categories like:
Action Required
Waiting On
Clients / Projects
Receipts / Finance
Archived for Reference
Stick to them. Every email should be actioned, filed, or binned, no exceptions.
3. Set Up Rules and Filters
Most email platforms let you filter or auto-label messages. For example:
Auto-label invoices from regular suppliers
Send newsletters to a “Read Later” folder
Star anything marked “urgent”
Let your inbox do the legwork for you.
4. Schedule Inbox Time
Set fixed times in your day to check emails, and stick to it. Try 15 minutes morning and afternoon. Constant checking kills productivity and ramps up stress.
5. Use the Two-Minute Rule
If it’ll take less than two minutes, deal with it now. Otherwise flag it or add it to your to-do list.
6. Weekly Inbox Tidy
End each week with a mini tidy: delete what’s done, archive what’s sorted, label what’s important. You might not hit Inbox Zero, but you’ll have Inbox Calm, and that’s what counts.
Want to Hand It Over?
If sorting your inbox is still making your eye twitch, don’t worry, you don’t have to do it alone.
I offer an Inbox Clear-Up Service:
2 hours of focused inbox magic
Filing, flagging, and folder setup
A system you can actually stick to
Need help reclaiming your time? When you’re ready, just Allocate a VA. 💙
