Filter Gmail

Don't freak out with all the email... FILTER IT! Manage your email.

This is an 8 minute video where I set up Priority Inbox and create filters to manage my email.

Step 1: Go to Gmail

Step 2: Find the Settings Cog

Under your picture in the upper right is the settings cog.

Click on this and go to "See all settings."

Step 3: Click on Filters Tab

Click on Filters in Settings.mp4

Locate the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.

Step 4: Create a New Filter

Locate around the middle of the screen "Create a new filter" in blue text.

Step 5: Decide What You Want To Filter For

Filter criteria in Gmail.mp4

In creating a new filter you want to figure out how you're going to filter it. What patterns exist in the emails you are getting that you can filter for.

From: Filter for who an email is sent from.

To: Obviously the emails in your Gmail are sent to YOU, but sometimes they are also sent to other people. If there is an email where you are partnering with someone and want to make sure those team emails get grouped, filter for "To"

Subject: If the subject line always says the same thing, what phrase will Gmail look for in the Subject line.

Has the words: If the keywords are in the body of the email.

Doesn't have: If the body of the email does not have a certain keyword or phase, filter for.

Private Comments

Notice for emails coming from Google Classroom they use the pattern

Joe Cougar added a private comment on "#007 Independent Practice:

Phrase: added a private comment

This phrase is in the subject line of all private comment emails from Google Classroom. Try to get as specific as possible. Do not just filter for "private comment" but also for the "added a"

Step 6: Create Filter With This Search

In the bottom right, click on "Create filter."

Step 7: Decide on What Happens

Read through the list of options of what happens to emails that meet this criteria.

For Private Comments from Google Classroom I choose to STAR and LABEL them

Choose New Label

Make a Google Classroom label.

Immediately make another new label, GC Private Comments.

Filter.mp4

Suggestion to check the "Also apply filter to matching conversations" checkbox before clicking "Create filter."

Step 8: Check Your Email

Check your email inbox. Your filters should have taken effect. Unless you checked the "matching conversations" checkbox, the filter works only on future emails.

You can go into the filters tab in the Settings to delete or edit your filters if you did not do it right.

What About Phone Notifications?

I personally turned mine off. I do not need both phone notifications and email notifications.

Since I have Gmail filtering and sorting my emails, I choose to manage it there. I have email on my phone so I just don't need the notification twice.

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