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Using labels and filters to organize your Gmail inbox

Using labels and filters to organize your Gmail inbox
Using labels and filters to organize your Gmail inbox

Keeping a clean and organized Gmail inbox is a crucial part of daily productivity, but it can get repetitive. So, let Gmail automatically categorize, sort, and prioritize your incoming email.

Last month, I discussed five very easy ways to organize your Gmail inbox. Today, I’ll be covering step-by-step instructions on how to set up my two favorite Gmail tools: labels and filters.

Setting up your Gmail label system

Organizing your email is a very personal thing. Some like to create labels for projects and clients. Some like to create labels for different priority levels. Some like to create labels based on scheduling dates. And some like to use all of the above so they can quickly find messages within any context.

Take a moment to consider how you prefer to organize your email before you get started.

Creating a new Gmail label

  1. In Gmail, click the gear icon (“Settings”) on the upper-right corner.
  2. Click “See all settings”.
  3. Select “Labels”.
  4. Scroll down to the Labels section.
  5. Click the “Create new label” button.
  6. Enter the name of your new label (Figure 1).

    Figure 1 - Create new label window
    Figure 1 - Create new label window
  7. Click “Create” to complete the process. You can now see your newly created label, “Client 3”, in both the Label setting screen and the Label list on the left-hand sidebar (Figure 2).

    Figure 2 - Your new label is shown in the Labels setting screen and the Label list on the left
    Figure 2 - Your new label is shown in the Labels setting screen and the Label list on the left
  8. You can repeat steps 5-7 to add additional labels.

NOTE: You can also click the “+” sign next to “Labels” in the sidebar to quickly add a new label without having to navigate through the settings menus.

Assigning labels to messages

Now that you’ve set up your labels, you can assign one or more labels to your messages, either directly in a message or by selecting messages from your inbox.

Assigning labels in an email message

  1. Open any email message.
  2. Click the “More” (three-dots) menu located in the toolbar at the top of the screen.
  3. Select “Label as”.
  4. Check all the labels you want to apply to this message (Figure 3).
  5. Select “Apply” to complete.

    Figure 3 - Assigning labels within an email message
    Figure 3 - Assigning labels within an email message

Assigning labels from your inbox

  1. From your inbox, select one or more emails.
  2. Click the “More” (three-dots) menu located in the toolbar at the top of the screen.
  3. Select “Label as”.
  4. Check all the labels you want to apply to this message (Figure 4).
  5. Select “Apply” to complete.

    Figure 4 - Assigning labels from the inbox
    Figure 4 - Assigning labels from the inbox

Using filters to automate email organization

Manually applying filters is a great way to quickly organize and provide additional context to your messages. But if you find yourself applying the same labels repeatedly, it might be time to create some filters and automate the process.

Creating a Gmail filter

  1. In Gmail, click “Settings” (gear icon) on the upper-right corner.
  2. Click on “See all settings”.
  3. Select “Filters and Blocked Addresses”.
  4. Click “Create a new filter”.
  5. A window will appear where you set the condition (or conditions) for the filter. In this example, we’re filtering all incoming messages with an “@Client1.com” email address (see Figure 5).

    Figure 5 - Setting the condition for the filter
    Figure 5 - Setting the condition for the filter
  6. Click “Create filter”.
  7. Another window will appear where you set the action (or actions) when the condition you set in Step 5 is met. In this example,
    1. we’re going to skip the Inbox so that it stays clean,
    2. apply the label “Client 1”,
    3. and mark it as important.


    Figure 6 - Setting the actions when conditions are met
    Figure 6 - Setting the actions when conditions are met
  8. Click on “Create filter” to complete.

    Figure 7 - The Filters and Blocked Addresses page lists all your filters
    Figure 7 - The Filters and Blocked Addresses page lists all your filters

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Closing thoughts

Automating Gmail organization is an effective way to minimize repetitive tasks and reclaim your day. But it’s important to take your time. Figure out how you interact with your email and how you want to categorize your messages before you get started. Once you have a clear organizational plan, you can “set it and forget it”. Gmail will do the rest!