I’ve found that many people who use gmail don’t really understand the value of archiving emails. I feel this is the single most important feature in gmail, especially if you receive a lot of emails.
Let’s start by defining what it is in very simple terms. Archiving is taking an email conversation, and making it disappear from the inbox. In a sense, you are filing it away because you’ve completed what needed to be done. Think of your inbox as your desk, and the archived emails as the items on your desk that you don’t need to look at anymore. Those items can be filed away, but can still be easily accessible when and if needed in the future.
What this does is create an inbox of just the emails that you need to take action on. For example, a person who doesn’t archive emails may have an inbox of 2500 emails (you know who you are). A person who routinely archives, may have an inbox of 10-15 emails. It’s a great way to work neat, be efficient with your time and to not feel overwhelmed by email. Once this tool is used regularly, there are a number of other gmail tools that can help as well, including gmail labels, filters, special inbox settings and more. I plan to write about some of those other features in the future.