How to manage your email
Most people have the habit of keeping too much old email in their inboxes.
This slows the machine down, risks losing important data and can affect
your productivity. It's worthwhile cleaning out mail that's been sitting
around for too long.
Each email program has its own quirks, we'll cover a few of the common
ones starting with the Outlook Express and Window Mail that are included
with Windows XP and Vista.
Outlook Express/Windows Mail
The problem with Windows Mail is that the Inbox is loaded into memory
when you open it. Control the size of your inbox by creating separate
folders for each client, project or year and move relevant mail into
that folder. That will save a massive inbox clogging up the system every
time you open your email program.
Microsoft Outlook
Outlook behaves a bit differently to it's lightweight cousin. Rather
than have a series of folders for email, there is just one fat file called
a Personal Storage (PST) file. Not only can a big one slow your system,
but if it gets too big it can freeze Outlook.
To reduce the size of the PST file, set up the Automatic archive
features by selecting Tools, Options and Advanced. In the Archiving
section you can set all older files to be archived every few weeks.
Make sure you tick the option that includes sub folders.
Outlook archive folders hide themselves deep in the user profile.
If you do setup an archive note the location, which is shown in the
Advanced Settings, so you can open it in future.
Microsoft Entourage
If you are using Office on a Mac, then archiving Entourage is a matter
of opening File, then Export and choosing "Move items to an Entourage
Archive". There are third party scripts that can automate this
for you.
Mac Mail, Thunderbird, Netscape and Eudora
These programs use the mbox standard of managing email folders.
This means they can read each other's mail folders and makes them
far more portable than the Microsoft options. Funnily Outlook Express
uses the mbox standard as well, but Microsoft complicate this.
Like Outlook Express, you can create new folders in your email program
and move emails based on age, contact, project or whatever criteria
suits you.
Web Mail programs
Generally, web mail keeps emails on the server. So programs like
Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail don't have a backup utility. If you have the
paid premium versions there may be a way to do this through downloading
the messages into your email program.
Other mail programs
There are any manner of email programs out in the wild. All of these
have their own tips and tricks. If you can't get any assistance on
how to clean them up, then treat them as mbox programs we discuss
in the Mac Mail section above.
Email is one of our critical computer functions. So it's important
to manage it and make sure it's running well. Look after your email
and you'll get more work done and find it easier to save.
