The workshop that accompanies this slide deck by Jeremy Caplan @jeremycaplan will catch you up on the Gmail ninja tricks that digital gurus use to save time and get more done. For the full outline, visit bit.ly/ninjagmail This session is full of specific tools and techniques. Among the dozens of specific session takeaways, you’ll learn: - The most effective time of day to send email - Surprising strategies for when to check email and why - 5 EMail Techniques, including batching, filtering and “Inbox Zero” - 6 Most Useful GMail Labs - 3 Hidden Settings You Need to Fix - 7 Keyboard Shortcuts You’ll Want to Start Using - When NOT to use labels/folders and why - How to Quickly & Easily Set up Email Filters - The 3 Best Gmail Apps to Download - Quick tips for mobile GMail

1. 21 Tips
for GMail Ninjas
by @jeremycaplan 1

2. 21 Tips for Gmail Ninjas by @jeremycaplan
Gmail Tips for getting more done and freeing up creativity
Tactics Tools Turbo
Search, Don’t File Tweak Gmail Settings Post-Date Email
Send Email Early Master Gmail Shortcuts Get Context for Contacts
Be Super Brief Unify Inboxes Filter for the Future
Batch, Don’t Squirrel Avoid Email Disaster Unsubscribe
Schedule Email Sessions Automate Typing Make Email Your Info Hub
Act, Don’t Postpone Bookmark Messages Backup
Quicken Email Add Useful Apps
Full Notes: bit.ly/ninjagmail
2

3. Today’s Notes:
bit.ly/ninjagmail
3

4. 4

5. TACTICS
BEST PRACTICES FOR MAKING THE MOST OF GMAIL 1
TOOLS
SETTINGS, LABS AND TRICKS FOR EFFICIENCY 2
TURBO
APPS AND ADD-ONS TO MAKE GMAIL SHINE 3
5

6. Why bother becoming a
GMail Ninja?
6

7. INBOX = SWAMP
7

8. 150+
Daily E-Mail Messages
8

9. Estimated Average # of Daily Actionable Email Messages
200
150
# of Email Messages
100
200
180
160
135
75 82 110
88 50
2008 2009
2010
2011 0
2012
2013
2014
Year 2015
9

10. More Messages, Less Time
# of Messages Vs. Avail Time
# of Daily Emails
# of Spare Hours
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Year
10

11. “...Such is the flood that even
things that might have done some
good lose all their goodness...”
- Erasmus
11

12. We Haven’t Even Mentioned...
12

13. 13

14. 14

15. 15

16. Techniques and Tools
Managing email efficiently = Using a system & learning tools
System
Batch, filter, automate, 1-touch and inbox zero
Tools
Gmail labs and useful apps
16

17. Email Adoption Curve
The hottest thing in email keeps evolving...
Gmail
Revolutionary. Rethought everything - from
account size to conversations.
Hotmail
The first mass-email product that
got the attention of the masses
Sparrow? Mailbox?
New email tools are recognizing
AOL how email has changed
The first email account many of us
The Chasm
had: not fancy, but eye-opening
Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority Late Majority Laggards
17

18. #EmailFail
18

19. Email Efficiency
= Key to Success
19

20. 1.
Search, Don’t File
20

21. Search, Don’t File
Finding a message by hunting through folders
takes 3.4 times as long as searching for it.
Source: IBM Research 21

22. FOLDERS
22

23. Find Web Info
= Google Search
23

24. Find Email Info
= GMail Search
24

25. 4 Most Useful Searches:
has:attachment
from:caren
subject:budget
newer_than:2d 25

26. Or use a combo:
has:attachment budget
26

27. Or use a combo:
has:attachment budget
27

28. Lostphotosapp.com
28

29. Use Personal Hashtags
29

30. Examples:
#ej13
#fms12
@Sandy 30

31. 31

32. Search Across Services:
GMail/Evernote/Docs/
Twitter/Facebook
32

33. 33

34. 34

35. 35

36. 36

37. 37

38. 1.
Search, Don’t File
38

39. 2.
Send Email Early
39

40. Send @ 6am Not 4pm
A message sent at 6am is three times as likely
to have a link clicked on than one sent at 4pm
Source: ReviveYourInbox.com 40

41. Sunday = Good day to
reach people by email
27% of Sunday emails
are read
Source: Yesware Study
41

42. 3.
Be Super Brief
42

43. Be Super Brief
73 Seconds
Email replies take an average of 73 secs to compose
Source: ReviveYourInbox.com 43

44. See
five.sentenc.es
= a plea for short email
44

45. 3 Word Subject
45

46. 4.
Batch, Don’t Squirrel
46

47. Batch, Don’t Squirrel
Focus on 1 thing at a time.
Your attention is valuable.
Don’t squander it.
47

48. Peek, Don’t Plod
48

49. Don’t Be a Squirrel
Check email every hour,
not every minute
49

50. 5.
Schedule Email Time
50

51. Schedule Email Time
12 messages per day on average require substantial
effort. That takes an average of 90 minutes
Source: ReviveYourInbox.com 51

52. #Chronoplan
=
When’s your emailing sharpest?
52

53. #Chronopeak
=
When you’re at your best
53

54. 6.
Act, Don’t Postpone
54

55. 37%
% of emails on which
recipients defer action
Source: Carnegie Mellon Research
55

56. Do, Delegate or Delete
Do = Quick Reply
Defer = Sked/Delegate
Dump = Archive
56

57. Turbocharge Your Email
To boost your email productivity, learn shortcuts,
turn-on helpful features, and add handy apps
Photo by dawgbyte77 - http://flic.kr/p/5EfSFx 57

58. 7.
Tweak GMail Settings
58

59. Tweak Gmail Settings
59

60. Customize Your Email
60

61. 8.
Master GMail Shortcuts
61

62. 4 Gmail Shortcuts
C
=
Compose
R
=
Reply
A
=
Reply
All
F
=
Forward
62

63. 4 More Gmail Shortcuts
E
=
Archive
L
=
Label
V
=
Move
S
=
Add
a
Star
63

64. 9.
Unify Inboxes
64

65. 65

66. Send & Receive Email from
Your Preferred Account
66

67. Reply from Other Email Addresses
67

68. 10.
Avoid EMail Disasters
68

69. Turn On GMail Labs
69

70. Gmail Labs
70

71. Most Useful Gmail Labs
Undo
Send
Canned
Responses
Quick
Links
71

72. Most Useful Gmail Labs
Auto
Advance
Send
and
Archive
Create
a
Doc
72

73. 73

74. 74

75. 11.
Automate Typing
75

76. Automate Typing
Type something once, fine.
Type it twice, fine.
Type the same thing 50 times?
You’re wasting time.
76

77. 77

78. TextExpander
78

79. Agileroute.com/clipboardhistory
79

80. 12.
Bookmark Messages
80

81. Bookmark Email
81

82. Bookmark Email 82

83. 13.
Quicken EMail Usage
83

84. 84

85. 85

86. 86

87. More Gmail Labs
87

88. 14.
Post-Date Email
88

89. Boomerang
89

90. Boomerang
90

91. Nudgemail
91

92. Nudgemail
92

93. 15.
Get Context for Your
Contacts
93

94. Rapportive
94

95. Rapportive
95

96. WiseStamp
96

97. WiseStamp email
signature
97

98. 16.
Filter for the Future
98

99. Fool me once, shame on you...
Fool me twice, I need a filter
99

100. Filter By:
Sender’s Name or Address
Subject Line
Recipients
Keywords
100

101. Create a Filter
Step 1
101

102. Create a Filter
Step 2
102

103. Create a Filter
Step 3
103

104. 17.
Unsubscribe
104

105. Pick your top 4
newsletters.
Unsubscribe from the
rest
105

106. A few newsletters I like:
Tech: Netted.net
Photo: Photojojo.com
Local: DNAInfo.com
News: TheSkimm.com
106

107. Unroll.me
107

108. 18.
Make Email an Info Hub
108

109. Use Email to Send to:
Evernote
Instapaper
Pocket
Dropbox
Toodledo
109

110. 110

111. Instapaper
111

112. bit.ly/500dropbox
112

113. Toodledo
113

114. Make and receive calls
within GMail
114

115. Google Voice
115

116. 19.
Backup your Gmail
116

117. Backupify.com
117

118. WeTransfer.com
118

119. WeTransfer.com
119

120. GetCloudApp.com
120

121. 20.
Add Useful Apps
121

122. YesWare
Contactually
ActiveInbox
HelloSign
Sanebox
122

123. Yesware.com
123

124. Contactually.com
124

125. Contactually.com
125

126. ActiveInbox.com
126

127. Sanebox.com
127

128. 21.
Turn Email Off
128

129. Schedule a Tech Sabbath
129

130. Tech Sabbath
No-Tech Saturday or Sunday
No Tech Before Bed
No Tech Before Breakfast
130

131. The Benefits of Getting Better at Gmail
Invest some time, then reap the rewards
Before After
‣ Lots of time spent filing ‣ Quick searches
‣ Looking at each email multiple times ‣ Acting on each email once
‣ Stressing over a messy inbox ‣ Feeling confident with inbox zero
‣ Interruptions every 10 minutes for email ‣ Dedicating time to focused work
‣ Wading thru junk next to important email ‣ Filtering out email that’s not actionable
131

132. Use EMailFuture.com to
send yourself an email in
30 days w/ 3 objectives
132

133. 133

134. Connect:
Twitter: @jeremycaplan
jeremy@jeremycaplan.com
bit.ly/jcfaves = some of my current favorite sites
134