Worked with a client today on his Gmail Spam folder. There was so much he was overwhelmed figuring what was really spam and what actually belonged in his Inbox.

I have a quick method I use everyday that takes literally seconds to do that lets me check the Spam folder and keep it manageable.

The flow chart is to get you used to the process, but you won’t need it after a time or two, it’s just to help you make the decisions and not get overwhelmed. At the first use, I recommend just looking for personal emails that shouldn’t be spam, don’t worry about unsubscribing to anything. When you’re sure any email that you want to keep in your Inbox has been labeled “Not Spam”, then go ahead and just delete all the messages in your Spam folder. Tomorrow, check it and follow the flow chart through the few messages there.

Once you’ve got the rhythm down, it won’t take you more that 30 seconds a day to make sure nothing slips through your Spam folder.