What's In YOUR Inbox?

Do you frequently find your email inbox stuffed full with junk? Is this junk email clogging up your "e-life"? Many find that they receive countless annoying and useless emails on a daily basis but simply have no idea how to get rid of it. This junk email, or "inbox clutter", can really take its toll on your mental state and cause undue stress. Here are some tips that I like to give to those struggling with this not-so-unique problem:

1. Every time you receive an email that is, to you, considered "junk email", designate it as such and place it on the "add sender to blocked senders list". If you use Microsoft Outlook, just right click on the intended email and there you will see options. Scroll down until you see "junk email", then "Add sender to blocked senders list". Next time you receive an email from that particular source, it will go straight to your Junk Email Box. There it will remain until further action is taken. At least you will not have to see it right away when you open your inbox.
2. Periodically go into your Junk Email box and take a look around. Are there any emails that were mistakenly sent there but that you deem as more important and noteworthy? You can then reverse the process as above. Right click on the intended email, scroll down to "junk email" then click on "Add sender to safe senders list". This will insure proper delivery to your inbox the next time you receive an email from the particular sender.
3. While you are perusing your Junk Email box, look at the emails there that you truly consider to be "junk". If you would no longer care to receive emails from that source, then you need to tell them just that. This can take some time and be a bit annoying but it will keep your Junk Email box uncluttered: Open the junk email and scroll all the way to the bottom of the email. There you will almost always see a statement saying something to this effect: " You received this email because you signed up to receive our monthly e-newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive these e-newsletters, unsubscribe here." In most cases, it is necessary to cut and paste the given address into your internet browser's address bar. This will take you to the web page where you can then click on "unsubscribe" or choose from a list of options.
4. Another way to keep Junk Email from cluttering your Inbox is to run a spyware/malware scan on a regular basis. This will clear out any junk in your computer as well as junkmail you receive that you never intended to EVER see (like those lovely "little purple pill" solicitations!). Many of the spyware scanning programs are free. Two of my favorites are Ad Aware (www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php) and SpyBot Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html). You do need to update them periodically and then run the scans. I run them on my computer about every 3 days. Doing so really cuts down on the amount of junk I receive in my Inbox.

Hopefully these simple tips will declutter your email world and allow you get to the REALLY important stuff!