Stop Using Labels and Folders with Your Email!

Why You Should Stop Using Gmail Labels

In this video, Scott Friesen explains why he doesn't use labels in his email account and gives three reasons why you should also consider ditching them.

The Truth About Labels

• Scott does not use labels in his email account and never has.

• He wants viewers to reconsider their use of labels or folders within their email accounts.

• Scott shows the left-hand side of his Simpletivity business email account where there are no labels shown under the "Labels" heading.

Reason 1: Time Consumption

• Labels can be incredibly time-consuming to create, manage, review, click, adjust or re-edit.

• People get so attached to their labels that they start dragging each and every one of their emails into some type of category.

• Even a routine like categorizing spam emails wastes an awful lot of time and energy.

Reason 2: Inaccuracy

• Emails contained within labels are not nearly as accurate as people think they are.

• Labels are only as good as the individuals who set them up or apply those specific labels.

• Don't always trust that your labels will be representative of everything that label is listed as.

Reason 3: Search Functionality

• Gmail's search functionality is powerful enough to find any email you need without having to rely on manually created categories.

• Instead of using labels, Scott recommends using Gmail's search operators such as "is:unread," "has:attachment," or "from:[sender name]" to quickly find specific emails.

Conclusion

• Scott encourages viewers to try using Gmail's search functionality instead of labels and see how it can save them time and energy.

• This video is brought to you by SaneBox, a tool that helps you manage your email inbox more efficiently.

Why Labels Are Not Necessary in Gmail

In this section, the speaker explains why labels are not necessary and often eat up too much of our time.

Benefits of Not Using Labels

• The ability to sort, filter or use other options available at the top of the screen allows for certainty that all emails have been received for a particular individual.

• Basic search functions within Gmail can save time and prevent jumping between different labels to find an email.

• Searching for keywords such as "request" with specific filters can narrow down emails without having to apply multiple labels.

Exceptions to Not Using Labels

• If using a filter within Gmail to automatically apply specific labels, it can be helpful in keeping things out of your inbox.

How to Spend Less Time on Email

In this section, the speaker provides tips on how to spend less time on email.

Use SaneBox

• SaneBox creates smart labels or folders that learn from user behavior and hide distractions or unwanted emails.

• Clicking the link in the description below provides a 14-day free trial and $25 credit if continuing with the service.