Gmail Better: 5 Quick Hacks
We spend, on average, about an hour each day checking email. That’s according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Do you spend that much time cooking dinner or working out? I certainly don’t so, with so much time devoted to just one task, who couldn’t use a few life hacks to make it a little easier?
Gmail is by far the most popular email service around. Aside from personal use, more and more companies are also turning to the Google email giant to manage their correspondence. In fact, Google announced last year that with 425 million monthly active users, its Gmail email service, surpassed Hotmail for the first time at the largest email service in the world.
Odds are you have at least one Gmail account. To help make your emailing easier and work more productive, here are my top five Gmail add-ons and extensions.
Smartr is a free, smarter way of managing your contacts. This Gmail add-on is a favorite of mine because it works by bringing together your email contacts with your connections from social media. Once downloaded, Smartr creates a sidebar within your Gmail. When you’re drafting or opening an email, it instantly provides important context for the person with whom you’re corresponding like their LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter accounts; a history of your correspondence with them and a list of people who are typically copied on those messages.
Boomerang for Gmail
Boomerang is for hardcore emailers. One thing Gmail doesn’t have in and of itself is a feature for scheduling emails. Boomerang solves that, allowing you to draft emails and schedule exactly when you want them to go out. Even more, you can set handy reminders to send an email. Boomerang will even remind you to follow up on an email if you don’t receive a reply. With those features, it’s clear this extension is a great get for anyone in a profession where communication, especially follow up, is key. Boomerang gives you up to 10 actions per month for free. For more prices for the service range between $5 to $15 per month.
“Mute”
Why am I just now finding out about Gmail’s “mute” feature? How much time would you wager you’ve wasted sifting through emails on which you were CCd but didn’t really involve you? Some people just don’t know the difference between “reply” and reply all.” Well, if you don’t already know, Gmail has a tool to let you quietly excuse yourself from the conversation. It’s easy: click the “more” button at the top of your message window screen and select “mute.” Gmail will begin archiving future messages in the chain, by passing your inbox. Only if a message in the chain is addressed to just you will it show up in you inbox.
Make checking email on your phone that much easier with Mailbox. Currently, the app only works with Gmail and it’s incredibly useful in streamlining the email review process. You can fly though your inbox with just a few swipes. Swipe to mark as read, swipe to delete and drag a message up to prioritize it. With Mailbox, you can even put emails on “snooze,” moving them out of your inbox but setting them to reappear tomorrow, next week or next month.
Finally, this last extension fixes one of Gmail’s most obvious flaws. Originally designed for use by salespeople, Yesware lets users see when their emails are opened. It feels a little icky, like spying on those you’re emailing, but knowing that your message has been viewed is critical information for following up. And if you’re in a line of work where you find yourself sending the same emails regularly, or the same message to different people, Yesware also gives you the ability to create and save templates, form letters to have on the handy. How’s that for a time saver?
Photo Courtesy, Gmail.
