Cutting Junk Email Out of Your Life

Are you tired of sorting through all your new emails just to get to the ones you actually want to read? Does your inbox fill up with spam, newsletters, and solicitations? Use the tips in this article to get your email inbox under control.

Use your email program's filter. Most email programs have a button you can click on to label an item of email as "junk" or "spam." Use this button. Your program will likely remember items from that email address, or items of that type as junk and will deliver future junk emails of that type to your junk or spam folder. You can also go into "Options" and specify what email should be sent to your inbox.

Stop it at the source. A lot of junk mail is received from signing up for things on the internet. Maybe you were signing up for a freebie, joining a club or website, or shopping online. This got your email address added to a mailing list. If it is a legitimate, but unwanted email, take the time to unsubscribe the next time it shows up in your box. You probably don't need to be reminded of every Bath and Body Works sale, or receive advertisements from Amazon. If you are interested, you can go to the website and view the sale advertisement. It just takes a minute to unsubscribe. In the future, think twice before filling out any form that requires your email address.

Also, remember that if an email is not from a known or legitimate source, clicking on any links within the email can be risky. Be sure you know what you are unsubscribing from before clicking on any links.

Rethink newsletters. When a newsletter arrive in your inbox, are you actually reading it before hitting delete? Anytime you are deleting things without reading them, they are junk, whether or not it is legitimate. Once again, go ahead an unsubscribe to newsletters you don't read or aren't interested in anymore.

Stop forwards. Everyone has a friend who is constantly forwarding jokes, videos, and warnings that may or may not be genuine. If you appreciate these kinds of emails, then they're not junk. But once again, if you are deleting them without reading them then they are cluttering up your inbox, your time, and your life. Try sending a kind but firm email to your friend asking for them to stop sending you forwards. You could say something like, "I appreciate that you think of me, but I just don't have time to read all the emails you send. Please remove me from your mailing list."