Gmail to Get Things Done

Utilizing the time management theory of David Allen's "Getting Things Done," we dive into Gmail's features. This includes customizing your view of Gmail, using labels, the snooze feature, templates, and creating filters. 

Introducing Getting Things Done by David Allen

It takes mental energy to think about and manage the work you need to do beyond just the energy it takes to actually do the work. As such, the goal should be to create a system that does as much of that work for you as possible.

The Four D’s

1. Do: If it takes less than two minutes, do it now. You could schedule it for later or write it on a reminder list, but that takes just as much time. Save yourself the hassle and do it now. 
2. Defer: If it takes more than two minutes, and you’re the right person for the job, defer it. Put it on a list of next actions or on the calendar to be completed at a more convenient time. 
3. Delegate: Sometimes it’s just not your responsibility. Or better yet, someone else would enjoy doing that much more than you would! If it needs to get done but it’s not your job, delegate it to someone else. 
4. Delete: Some stuff doesn’t matter. So you missed a call from a random number? If it’s that important, they’ll call you back. Delete the task and give your brain the space to focus on the important stuff. 

Why start with the Four D’s? 

• Seconds add up to minutes- use your time efficiently!
• The mental toll of distractions- why take up brain power with things that don’t need to? 
• Multitasking isn’t always our best friend
• Tools can help us be more productive, especially in the long run

Make Gmail work for you to increase your productivity and reduce stress. 

Gmail Tools - Smart Set Up

Configure your Gmail layout to work best for you by adjusting the following settings and determining what works best for YOU! Click on the settings icon within Gmail, scroll down to see Quick Settings or select See All Settings to dive into additional tools. 

Tools You Don’t Want to Miss!

Quick Settings

• Reading Pane - allows you to open and read an email while keeping your inbox list in view
• Conversation View - an option to group email responses together with the newest email at the bottom
  • Choosing to have this feature off keeps original emails and their responses as separate lines in your inbox rather than grouping them into one
  • Caution: When using conversation view, double check who you are replying to if there are multiple people responding to the email

General Settings

• Undo Send - allows you to set an amount of time (up to 30 seconds) to pull back an email you sent. Having this set is highly recommended. If you never need it, great, but the undo option will show up for the one time you do need it!
• Grammar - Gmail will make grammar suggestions for you within an email
• Spelling - Gmail will make spelling suggestions for you within an email
• Autocorrect - toggle autocorrect on to have Gmail automatically fix spelling mistakes
• Smart Compose - predictive writing suggestions will appear as you compose an email (it will learn based on previous emails you’ve sent)
• Smart Reply - Gmail will suggest replies to emails when available

Get Your Time Back

More advanced tools within Gmail will help you to save time through organization and efficiency. Go into your settings, select the Advanced tab, and toggle on the features you want.

Templates

Templates allow you to save text for emails you send more than once without finding an old version to copy and paste. 

• Open a new email, type the message you want to save as a template, including the subject line, and then click on the three dots in the bottom right next to the delete icon to open the More Options menu. Hove over Templates and choose to save as a new template. 
  • Pro tip: Do not include your email signature in the saved template. 
• Next time you open a new email, open the same More Options menu, and you’ll see the template(s) you saved!

Promotions

Toggle this feature to have Gmail automatically sort emails that appear to be marketing, interests, social or political causes, or other promotional material into a separate tab in your inbox view.

• Enable the promotions tab to keep your inbox focused on what you actually need
• Unsubscribe from the emails you don’t need 
• Drag emails to your promotions tab if they weren’t automatically sorted into it - Google is smart and will learn as you make changes!

Filters

These are the equivalent of rules in Outlook. 

• Go into the settings and select the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. Select Create a New Filter and select the settings you want. 
• You can route recurring emails to be automatically marked as read, skip your inbox and go to the archive, have them automatically deleted, and more. 
• Tip: Try making a filter for your PostMaster emails that we receive daily.

Labels

Labels serve in the place of folders as a way to organize your emails. Before you create a new label, ask yourself: do you need it in a folder or will the search function be sufficient? 

• Keep your labels to very high-level buckets. When you get too granular, it becomes difficult to maintain
• Tip: Use symbols or letters to control the automatically alphabetized order of your labels- an asterisk or “a” will move the email to the top of the list, while a “z” will move the label to the bottom
• To move an email out of your inbox and into a different label that you’ve created, you can drag that email from your inbox and drop it into the label you want
• If you want to “get rid of” emails without deleting them, you can simply click on the Archive button at the top of a new email and it will remove all labels so it won’t show up anywhere. When you archive an email, you can still find it via the search bar or by clicking More on the left-hand side of Gmail and then selecting All Mail 

Snooze

Use the Snooze button when you receive an email, but need to revisit the information at a later time that’s more convenient for you! 

• Hover over an email listed in your inbox and select the clock icon. Then select the date and time you want the email to pop back up in your inbox
• The Snooze feature takes the email out of your inbox until the newly selected time so your inbox isn’t cluttered 
• Example: If you receive an email with information about a meeting you’ll be having in two weeks, snooze the email until a few days or one day before the meeting. This will keep the information top of mind for you prior to the meeting without the email taking up space in your inbox for the in-between time before the meeting

Build Culture

Vacation Responder

Use the vacation responder any time you’re out of the office for one or more business days. By utilizing this feature, you set expectations that you will not be able to respond until you return. Not only does it help others know when to expect a response, but it also helps you set important work-life boundaries by not responding to emails while you’re using paid time off! 

• Click on the settings icon within Gmail, select See All Settings and scroll down to Vacation Responder
• Set the first and last dates of your time off for your vacation responder so the feature automatically turns on and off when you need it to

Schedule Send

Utilize the Schedule Send feature when you want to prepare an email that isn’t ready to be sent immediately. 

• Add a recipient to an email, click the arrow next to Send, select Schedule Send, and enter the desired date and time
• This helps respect people’s non-working hours and prevent emails that start with “Don’t read until Monday.” You can simply schedule the email for Monday instead!
• Get emails off of your to-do list when you’re ready instead of waiting for the perfect date and time to send the email 

Gmail Tools and The Four D’s

• Do: If it takes less than two minutes, do it now. You could schedule it for later, but it might take a minute to do that. Save yourself the hassle and do it now. 
  • Smart Compose tools
  • Templates
  • Schedule Send
  • Labels
• Defer: If it takes more than two minutes, and you’re the right person for the job, defer it. Put it on a list of next actions, or put it on the calendar to be completed at a more convenient time.
  • Promotions tab
  • Snooze
  • Filters
  • Schedule Send
• Delegate: Sometimes it’s just not your responsibility. Or better yet, someone else would enjoy doing that much more than you would! If it needs to get done, but it’s not your job, delegate it to someone else. 
  • Schedule Send
  • Labels
  • Smart Compose tools
• Delete: Some stuff doesn’t matter. So you missed a call from a random number? If it’s that important, they’ll call you back. Delete the task and give your brain the space to focus on the important stuff. 
  • Filters
  • Unsubscribe

Resources

• One on One HR Support: Book a 30-minute one-on-one session to get individualized support for Gmail. Come with any questions you may have and be ready to learn something new!
• Emerson IT: Utilize IT’s Gmail support page. 
• Google Support: Google’s support page can provide additional tips and user support.