I love Gmail. With it I can flag emails and sort my mail into folders, have multiple email accounts forwarded to one Gmail account, and it has great calendar and map integration. I have my email with me wherever I go: I can check it on my iPhone, on my MacBook Air, or on a friend’s computer. I also have elaborate auto filtering and tagging systems set up to make sure all my client emails stay sorted. Oh, did I mention offline mode? I can have all my emails downloaded to my computer so I can see them even when I am not online.
Recently I discovered a new Labs feature that makes me love Gmail even more: the “Send & Archive” button.
I rely on email as my main line of communication with my clients, and I have a whole system worked out. I use my inbox like a to-do list. Clients email me tasks, and as I complete them, I move the message out of my inbox. Whatever remains in my inbox are the tasks that I need to complete; the goal is to have an empty inbox.
My old method was to reply to emails and then manually move them out of my inbox with the “Archive” button, a laborious two-step process. That was until I discovered the “Send & Archive” button! Now I just click one button to send my response and archive the email out of my inbox.
To enable “Send & Archive”:
- Click on the “labs” beaker

- Scroll down to the “Send & Archive” feature and click the “Enable” radio button

- Click “Save Changes”
Now when you compose messages you will have a fancy “Send & Archive” button seated very nicely right next to your now-archaic “Send” button.
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I hope this method helps keep you organized. As a freelancer, I am often juggling multiple projects and like to make my life as simple and streamlined as possible.
What Labs features do you use to streamline Gmail?
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