If you’re like me, you get a lot of email. And if you’re really like me, most of it is junk. Sure, those daily literature excerpts “delivered right to your inbox” sounded like a great idea when you were on vacation and decided to tackle War and Peace–but if you still haven’t read the third digest after a month and the rest are piling up behind that one, it’s time to evaluate the usefulness of this “no-hassle” tool.

A few months ago, I actually canceled 25 different email/newsletter subscriptions that were coming to my inbox. (I don’t even remember what most of them were. Funny what you don’t miss.) And no, that wasn’t all of them. I ashamedly share that to assure you that, whatever your inbox complication, I can relate. I fall in love too easily and I sign up for newsletters too quickly.

Below are a few guidelines for anyone trying to consolidate, eliminate, or organize “junk” email (for our purposes, the definition of junk email includes emails for which you have subscribed of your own volition):

1. Cut, cut, cut. My husband loves that line from The Rainmaker, and it applies here. If the only thing you do when you see that email from Reunion.com claiming “Four people have searched for you this week!” is hit delete, why not go ahead and remove yourself from this subscription? Did you know that, on most websites, you don’t have to receive these messages in order to be a part of their communities? This goes for Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, too. Log in to your account and update your prefs so that you don’t get an email every time someone writes on your wall. (Isn’t that why you’re logging in 12 times a day anyway?)

2. Scale back. Some savvy websites now offer options to reduce the number of emails you receive from them. Shop It To Me, a website that searches the web for clearance deals from major retail chains, lets you choose when you want your emails delivered. They suggest Monday and Thursday for the best deals, but if you don’t have time to think about shopping while at work, pick Saturday instead.

In addition, before you cancel your subscription all together, many websites will ask if you’d rather receive an email less frequently, say, once a month instead of once a week. This can be a great compromise if you’re leery of cutting ties completely.

3. Be choosy. Email is supposed to make life better and help you do things faster. Don’t sign up for something you know you’ll tire of in a few weeks or months. Emails are like boyfriends. There are great ones, mediocre ones, and downright time-wasters. Ask yourself: Do I want to wake up and see this email every single day? If not, get out now.

With that in mind, I offer these tips to help you get started.

Tish’s Rules for Email Subscriptions

Ideally, the answer to all of these questions should be ‘yes’ before you sign up for a subscription. But you be the judge. Ask yourself the following:

• Do I visit the website at least as often as I receive the email? If you went to Amazon.com one time to get a quick gift for your aunt in Virginia but keep getting their email specials week after week, it’s time to cancel. Hint: You can always sign up again before you make another purchase. Chances are, you’ll get another coupon in no time.
• Are the subscriptions useful to me? Not to pick on BN.com, but I don’t need an email every single time one book goes on sale. Chances are, of the hundred emails you get from Barnes & Noble in a year, you won’t want every one of the particular books they happen to be marketing this week. (If you do, you may have another problem.) Don’t succumb to the power of suggestion. When you’re ready to buy, go to the store or visit the website. Likewise with Target and others who only send informational emails to let you know what’s on sale. Don’t fill up your inbox with the same information you can find on the website–especially if you wouldn’t go to the website for this info in the first place.
• Am I getting information I can’t get anywhere else? If you’re addicted to Hobby Lobby like I am, then you know you should never pay full price for anything there. With their rotating specials and coupons, it will probably be half off within two weeks. However, did you also know that you can print their weekly coupon online? Yup, you don’t even have to have an account with them. Don’t fill up your inbox with coupons that aren’t specifically tailored to your preferences and cannot be found elsewhere. And finally…
• Do I read the emails (on a regular basis)? Perhaps you’ve answered an emphatic ‘Yes!’ to all of the other questions. The final test is simple. Do you actually read the information in these emails? If not, consider an occasional website visit instead. (Or better yet, purge your inbox of the other superfluous mail and then you’ll have time to read the ones that matter!)

Note: I received eight–make that nine–junk messages during the construction of this article.

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