Master Your Email with These Tips

Master Your Email with These Tips

For most people, their email inbox can get pretty intimidating. You miss a day of work for personal reasons and you probably need to schedule about double the time getting to all of the updates, responses, and junk that comes in in a short amount of time. In this month’s newsletter we thought we’d go through a few tips that can help anyone better manage their email and keep their accounts secure.

Use Strong Passwords

Before you even get into your email, you can do quite a bit to keep the information safe. A strong password should be at least 12 characters long and include a mix of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special symbols. Avoid using easily guessable information like birthdays or common words. It’s also important not to reuse passwords across different accounts; if one account is compromised, all others using the same password are at risk. Employing a password manager can help you create and store complex passwords securely, reducing the risk of password-related breaches. You should also use two-factor authentication where available (most email providers have it). 

Be Cautious with Email Attachments and Links

Cybercriminals often use email attachments and links to deliver malware or phishing attacks. Even if an email appears from a trusted source, verifying its legitimacy before opening attachments or clicking links is essential. Look for signs of phishing, such as domains that don’t match the organizations, generic and weirdly worded greetings, or unexpected requests for personal information. If in doubt, you will definitely want to verify. By contacting the sender through a different communication channel to confirm the email’s authenticity, you can keep yourself and your organization secure with very little effort.

Regularly Review and Clean Your Inbox

Another important email best practice is keeping your inbox organized and free from clutter. Regularly delete emails you no longer need, especially those containing sensitive information. Storing old emails with personal data can be risky if your account is ever compromised. Aside from security, we have three more tips that will help you use email as the tool it is intended to be.

Prioritize and Organize with Folders and Labels

Set up folders or labels to categorize emails by priority or subject. For example, create folders for “Urgent,” “To-Do,” and “Read Later.” This helps keep your inbox clean and ensures that important emails are addressed promptly while less critical ones are saved for later.

Use Filters and Rules

Automate your inbox by setting up filters and rules to sort incoming messages. For instance, you can route newsletters, promotions, or other low-priority emails into specific folders, so your inbox stays clutter-free and you can focus on important emails first.

Unsubscribe and Archive Regularly

Unsubscribe from newsletters or mailing lists you no longer read to reduce the volume of emails. Regularly archive old emails that you no longer need in your inbox but may want to reference later, keeping your active inbox focused on current tasks and communication.

Email can be a great tool, but it also carries a lot of risk as an avenue for attack and a waste of valuable time. For more great technology tips, check out our blog where we post tech tips and other advice a few times a week.

Related Posts

How to Keep Engagement Up (Even in a Remote or Hybrid Workplace)

Remote and hybrid work models have become more popular than ever, in no small part thanks to the improved technology businesses of all sizes can now access. Nevertheless, this shift has brought new challenges for organizations everywhere. One such challenge is maintaining and enhancing remote workplace engagement—a crucial aspect that directly impacts employee satisfaction, productivity, and reten...

Tip of the Month: Using Email While Prioritizing Safety and Security

You probably use your email every day without even thinking about it. Email is, however, one of the main places hackers go when they want to steal personal information. Here are three easy steps you can take to keep your email secure. Use Strong, Unique Passwords A strong password is like a firm lock on your front door: it should be tough to crack. Here’s how to make one: Mix it up -Use a c...

The Importance of Passwords Cannot Be Ignored

Passwords protect nearly all of your accounts; or at least you hope that they do. Unfortunately, making a super-secure password that’s easy to remember can be harder than people expect. Oftentimes, it feels like you are constantly solving a puzzle. So then, how do you create passwords that keep hackers out without driving yourself crazy? In this month’s newsletter, we discuss this very problem. ...

How to Make Microsoft Excel Work Harder for You

Microsoft Excel is a great productivity tool and can be used in a lot of different and interesting ways.  Use Keyboard Shortcuts Using keyboard shortcuts is a great way to save time and reduce reliance on the mouse. For example, pressing Ctrl + Shift + L toggles filters on or off for data sets, Ctrl + Arrow Keys allows you to quickly jump to the edges of data regions, and Alt + = performs an...