Reflections on Gmail, and Letting Go of Preconceptions

 

     I am a creature of habit, and sometimes that causes me to miss out on things that might serve me.  I'm finding that's been the case with my technology choices, as well.  I've used Outlook for my email for many, many years, and have resisted any sort of change.  Even though I have Gmail accounts, I've had my husband point those emails to my Outlook account for me to read, sort, and classify.  After learning the features of Gmail, however, I might just be ready for a change.

     I really enjoy how I can give emails in Gmail multiple labels, so I can locate them in a variety of ways.  Up until now, I've used folders in Outlook to place emails in, and I would go to a particular folder to find the email when I wanted to refer to it again.  Now I see that with Gmail I can put multiple labels on an email, so I can look it up in more than one way.  Sometimes I can't remember which Outlook folder I've placed an email in, as there might be multiple topics within a single email and I have to choose a single folder when I classify it.  With Gmail, I will be able to put several topic labels on an email if I need to, and I won't have to try to remember which topic I placed it under when I want to find it again.  My email is currently pretty cluttered with emails that I've not been able to decide what to do with, and I think that trying to use my Gmail accounts to deal with the mail just may help me solve that problem.  I anticipate that this tool will help me clear my inbox, clear my mind, and make me more efficient in my personal, school, and work life.