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Since you are a Google user, you don’t need to delete messages. Enter your input text (with mistakes) below and we’ll identify any issues that we know how to fix. If the issue is not listed then it probably requires human judgement or outside research!
Hi Eliza, thanks for writing. This is actually a really common search query; it’s probably the #2 search term that brings people to this blog, right after “how to make money blogging.” Reader interest tells me there are a lot of folks facing similar situations as yours: their inboxes have become unmanageable and they need help. And who can blame them? Email has been around since the 1960s when Ray Tomlinson first wrote an application called SNDMSG on top of MIT’s ARPANET system. Since then it’s exploded into a multi-trillion dollar industry that affects how we work, socialize and live our lives. From 1984 to 2008 email volume increased 2,498 percent. As of 2013 there were about 180 billion emails sent each day, which is the same number of stars in our galaxy. Here’s one small example: last year I spent an entire week searching for a lost receipt on my computer; I could have found it in two minutes if only I knew my Gmail address book had a search function. A lot has changed since Gary Thuerk first roamed the halls of UCLA and pioneered “email.” But not much as changed as what happens inside and around those digital messages when you press send: nothing.
But we keep thinking it does something, so every minute of every hour of every day we’re trying new tactics in hopes that somehow this time, if we press send just the right way, our email will be magically transported through a fiber optic cable to the inbox of its intended recipient. But emails don’t work like that – they only have power over us when we give them power. And unfortunately when you allow these messages to pile up in your inbox they gain more influence than you want them to have.
If you need help on how to delete 5000 emails in Gmail, continue reading. If not, and you’d rather do it yourself, here’s what I recommend: turn off all email notifications except for high priority messages (and set their alerts as “as soon as possible”). Or at least make every new message wait 24 hours before popping into your workspace; otherwise any time you check your phone or computer you’ll be bombarded with new messages, some of which might not even apply to you.
Next establish a system for filing and sorting email that makes it easy for you to find things; make sure all high priority emails (like receipts) go into one folder so you can search for them quickly. Set up another folder for all low priority messages (the ones from great-looking companies whose products we want but don’t need), delete everything else immediately and set the discard settings on your account so they never appear in your inbox again. Eliminate extra email accounts too, because every mailbox that needs checking will only slow down the process of finding something when you really need it. And use Gmail’s powerful search tools to find what you need; I guarantee it will be faster than searching your inbox.
If all else fails, give your email address to someone who knows how to get things done and let them handle it for you. If that sounds like a scary solution, consider this: some people live their entire lives without ever having an interest in monitoring their inboxes, because they know they can always reach the end goal by employing help from the outside instead of trying to do it themselves. It’s a much better use of your time. You’ll thank me later.
Want more? Here are two free guides that reveal my most effective strategies for managing dozens of incoming messages each day with ease: ” Email Management Secrets ” and ” How To Get Anything You Want .”
Also, if you ever want to learn how to display social media updates on your website’s home page using Google News , click here . And if I can ever help, just let me know: [email protected] . Be well.
Sid Stryker is an online entrepreneur and hybrid media pioneer who has been shaping the way people connect with messages since 1994. Here’s where you can learn more:
Connect with me on LinkedIn for updates & insights that will save you time, money and help you grow your business – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidstryker .
And visit my Facebook fan page – http://www.facebook.com/sidsartofemail . In addition to staying in touch, it’s a great place to share stories about how my ideas have helped others succeed in business and life. These types of social networkings are an integral part of my mission to reach out to as many people as possible to help them solve their problems, and I’d love to find out how we can work together.
Sidney Stryker Consulting is a full service ecommerce agency that helps professional marketers achieve tangible, measurable results via the web. This email newsletter is sent on Wednesdays and includes tips for online success, resources from around the web, free giveaways & more. It’s where you’ll also find announcements about Sid’s latest projects, speaking engagements and interviews with industry leaders. You don’t need any money to subscribe – just curiosity! So sign up now (and please spread the word). We look forward to staying in touch. Meanwhile, share this issue with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably noticed that some email services, like Gmail, automatically resize the images in my newsletter so they appear as thumbnails instead of full-size pictures. That means my newsletter has shrunk in size to fit into a tiny space and become harder to read (I know, it sucks). I believe my subscribers should receive useful content that’s not ruined by their mail service, which is why I’m now giving people the option to get an HTML version of each new edition via an automated email . If you’d like to have access to both versions , here are instructions on how to do it: 1) Subscribe using the orange button at the top right hand corner of this email (which should send you an automated confirmation message). 2) Then click the “Click for HTML” link at the bottom of your Subscription Confirmation email. Next time, remember to check your Spam or Junk folders if you do not receive a confirmation notice. And that’s it! From now on, I’ll deliver both versions automatically with no hassles. Also, as a reminder, you can still contact me via my contact form , Facebook fan page and Twitter account for any questions you may have about my work or services.
Since you are a Google user, you don’t need to delete messages. Enter your input text (with mistakes) below and we’ll identify any issues that we know how to fix. If the issue is not listed then it probably requires human judgement or outside research!
If you want to delete an email chain with more than 100 emails, then you have to search and delete each email manually.
To start, sign into your Gmail account and select all the messages that are open. Next, search for “conversations” and delete any of those with a checkmark in the right-hand column to stop them from loading through Gmail. Finally, empty the trash by clicking “All Trash.”