Using Gmail as a Filing System

I’ve written before about using Gmail as an alternative filing system.  I just discovered a new (to me anyway) trick to make it easier to send yourself notes and have them automatically labelled and filed away.  The trick is to use a + sign after your name to create a sub-mailbox.

Lifehacker had a great post on how to use all sorts of online tools to track your weight loss efforts - including this trick for using gmail as a diet diary.  Here’s how you can set yours up.  You can also, of course, use this system for tracking and filing anything — including client notes, to do list items, etc. 

1.  Go into settings in gmail - click on labels (the very top of the page)

2. On the labels page — create a new label for the item you want to file.  In my example, I used fitness.

3. Go to the filters page and create a new filter to your new filter address — for fitness is would be meredith+fitness at gmail dot com.  Click next step…

4. For options - check the boxes for — skip inbox and apply label.  Apply the label you created in step 2.

That’s it…

The end result is a pretty basic tracking system.