<a href="http://thehappinessbucket.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/mh900390572.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1502" style="width: 201px;" src="http://thehappinessbucket.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/mh900390572.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="208" /></a>As I mentioned in a previous post, I am in the process of decluttering my email accounts. Now first you have to understand that I have 6 email accounts. The reason for this is for segmenting information so I am dealing with what I really want to deal with at the time. For some people you will think that this isn't necessary and is overkill, but for me I have found it to be very helpful.  It is like one of the key premises of decluttering, give things a home and put them where they belong.  The only problem is that in some of the accounts, I realize that I am regularly skipping over a lot of the emails because circumstances have changed and I no longer need that information.  So before I get to the how, let me explain why I have 6 accounts for those whose eyes bucked out of their heads at my announcement.<a href="http://thehappinessbucket.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/mh900414039.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1504" style="width: 209px;" src="http://thehappinessbucket.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/mh900414039.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="231" /></a>

Now before you go judging me and my 6 email accounts let me explain what they are and why I have them:

(1) <span style="text-decoration: underline;">personal - important</span>: This account was set up to receive all emails that I deemed as not wanting to miss. Shipment orders or response types of email for my personal life.
(2) <span style="text-decoration: underline;">personal - junk</span>: This account was actually one of the first email accounts I ever owned and it had already deemed itself to be junk by the nature of the items going to it. It also was on yahoo...which is prone to getting hyjacked by spammers, so I said leave it as junk until I move the important stuff and then cancel it.   This is how mailbox 1 was born.  Well, I found that I kept sending junk or subscription type stuff to it and didn't care if I read it or not, but occassionally I would skim through and read something good.
(3)<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> Coupon email account</span>: Yes I have an email account that is set up specifically to use when I am in a store and they ask for the email address or if I am signing up for a free offer from somewhere. I also use this account for the various blogs that talk about coupon matchups and what you can get on sale or for free.
(4) <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Professional - junk</span>: Yes, I think I went a bit far with this one because I don't check it as often as I thought I would, but it did help to free up my work email from all those professional magazines, webinar notices and notices from linkedin.  The problem is sometimes I miss stuff that I would have really liked to attend or read.  I will have to revisit the plan for this box after the declutter is complete.  (5.) <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Personal Business:</span>  Now don't go rolling your eyes yet!!!!  This is a very important account because this is specifically for the Happiness Bucket and you KNOW this is extremely important!  I wouldn't want to miss your comments or questions or requests for consulting opportunities....Finally (6.) <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Wedding</span>: This account was set up to specifically deal with everything and anything related to my wedding. For those who have ever planned a large event (especially a wedding or shower or anniversary) you know that there are lots of emails, registeries, RSVPs, Vendor, etc. emails that go back and forth. I didn't want that mixing with my normal life stuff so I set up a separate temporary account for this information.  This will definitely be going away once I pull out and file away the historical information.

WHEW that took a lot out of me lol....ok so what are the steps to tackling this mountain of electronic information?  Well, you tackle it the same way you would stuff in your home.  You need to sort it into like piles.  I like to use the sorting feature in the mailbox to get all the emails from the sender bunched or grouped together.  Then categorize the emails - determine if you should trash it, file it, if it requires some action.  Once these steps are done I think you will know if the mailbox is still needed or if your system will continue to work in a longer term fashion.  Here are some of the steps you can follow that may make it a little easier to reduce the emails in your mailbox(es).

1. Emails that you really no longer need to receive, for example you signed up with website A and you really only did it to get a free offer and you no longer need it.

2. You were signed up for a mailing list because of something you purchased...so you have now started getting random emails about the topic and their offers, remove yourself from their mailing list or change your subscription choices to only receive info you are interested in.

3. You joined a website/blog that you once visited often, but due to life changes you no longer want to be on it.

Me???? Well I hope to get rid of at least one mailbox (wedding) and then drastically weed out the others so I can determine if they are really needed.  I may be able to let go of the professional junk box, but I really like not having that stuff come to my office email.  Oh well, we will see.  I'll try to remember to get a start and finish snapshot for you.

What does your electronic world look like and what are you plans to declutter it?<a href="http://thehappinessbucket.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/the-happiness-bucket-transparent7.png"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1025" src="http://thehappinessbucket.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/the-happiness-bucket-transparent7.png?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="125" /></a>