How to Create Folders in Gmail to Streamline Your Inbox {+Productivity Hacks}

Let us start by asking a quirky question. Can you summarize the life of a salesperson? Well, let us give it a shot. Wakes up early. Hits snooze-not. Checks emails. Inculcates that sales mindset, quick breakfast, and on the drive to the office. Is it enough? Not really. Action on. Selling on!

Wait, one cannot skip those team meetings, endless phone calls, new clients, rejections, and closed deals. Yes, this is the typical life of a salesperson.

You can probably picture how chaotic a salesperson’s daily life is, and with so much on their plate, being unorganized can hamper productivity and success. In such cases, the most pivotal and easiest to manage KRA is organizing the Gmail inbox. This can help boost productivity and efficiency in sales.

However, many salespeople are unable to manage Gmail, and as a result, the burden of an unorganized inbox keeps adding to the everyday toil. Hence, it is crucial to know how to create folders in Gmail. If you master this art of organizing Gmail folders, you will be unstoppable in your quest for success.

Gmail Folders vs. Label

Did you know that one of the most asked questions on Quora is how to create folders in Gmail and how to organize Gmail folders? Yes, you read it right. But here is the twist - There’s no "folder" creation option because Gmail doesn’t have folders. Yes, it's all about labels, which in essence, is exactly the same thing. Basically, Gmail doesn't have a folder system like Microsoft Outlook. Instead, it has labels. Labels, like folders, in other emails, make your messages more manageable and easy to locate.

So how are labels different from folders? If you see the typical system setup, there is a folder that is assigned to each email. But, in Gmail, you can add multiple labels to your email. Let us understand with the help of the example.

Example - In Gmail, you assign names to the labels like - Work plans, Home plans, and Personal expense plans without creating a copy of it for each label.

As mentioned above, the Gmail label and Gmail folder are essentially the same. We will be using “labels” and “folders” interchangeably moving further.

How to Create Labels Step By Step

Now that you know there is no difference between folders and labels let's try to understand how to create labels in Gmail and its benefits for a salesperson. Once you know how to create labels, you will see a significant difference in your productivity for sure.

Follow these simple and easy steps to create labels:

Step 1: Go to Gmail Settings

Login to your Gmail account on your desktop, click on the setting and press the cog in the top right-hand side corner.

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Step 2: Click the “Labels” option

Remember, we just told you that Gmail loves it when you call folders and labels? Against this backdrop, click "Labels" below the “Settings'' field.

Step 3: Find “Create label”

Identify the create label option by scrolling downwards. You will find it in the left-hand side corner of the screen.

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 Step 4: Name your label with a title

Once you find the create label option, click on it. When you do, a pop will appear where you can give the label a title of your choice. Also, you will find “nest labels'' options here.

Nest labels are basically used to create subfolders within folders. In case you want to add a subfolder, use the drop-down menu to pick where you want the new label to be visible.

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Step 5: The New Folder(Label) is ready to use

You are almost done! Once you name the label, refresh your Gmail tab, and you will see a new folder in the left-hand panel of your inbox under drafts. Yes, now you can use it.

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Step 6: Time to fill in the folder with data

After this, all you need to do is move the email to this folder in the organized form. To do this in the easiest and quickest way, drag and drop the email from your inbox to the newly created labels. Once you have sorted the content, you are good to go.

It’s easy, isn’t it? Since you now know how to create Gmail labels cum folders, let us take you through some amazing hacks and tips to master the art of using Gmail labels like a pro.

How to Assign Labels to an Email Automatically on the Gmail Mobile App

Most of us use a mobile phone to check emails in the morning, or when we need to revert to something quickly and we are not around our desktop.

As per Superoffice, email open rates are much higher on mobile devices. The email open rates on mobile phones have grown by more than 100% since 2011 and are increasing every year. In current times, 81% of all emails are opened and read on mobile devices today.

Before we start, please note you can only assign labels on iOS devices and transfer the incoming emails to the folder automatically. However, this feature is not available in Gmail’s Android mobile app.

Let’s learn how to set up Gmail folders on iOS mobile devices

Step 1: Go to your Gmail app, and click on the menu option.
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Step 2: Once the menu opens, go to settings.

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Step 3: Select your Gmail account, and a list of options will appear in the settings menu. Click on label settings.

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 Step 4: Once you click on the label settings, you will see a list of labels. Choose the label name of the respective folder. From the following label menu, click on Add.

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 Step 5: Now type the email ID with other search parameters, if any, and click on the add button and save. By doing this, specific emails will automatically go into the folder.

But remember that you cannot edit or rename this folder and create any custom folder if you want in the future via mobile. You need to have a desktop to do this.

Some Life Saving Hacks for your Gmail Folders

‍Hack 1 - Automatically Label an Email Based on Search Criteria

Let’s start with this.  If you are one of those people who want to know how to create Gmail folders but don't have enough mojo to drag the email into the respective folder each time, this hack is for you. Follow these two simple steps-

Step 1- Here, you need to click on the Gmail search bar and create automatic labels based on criteria.

Step 2 - After setting the criteria, click "Create filter" with this search, which is in the bottom right corner. Then, apply the label by clicking the Choose label drop-down.

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Hack 2 - Manage Your Gmail Labels With Ease

After creating labels, you also need to learn how to tweak them. Here we go. If you need to rename a label, hide the one you don't want to delete. You will find this option available within the “Labels tab” of “Settings.”

You can easily find rename by clicking on more options and then on the manage labels menu.  On the screen, you will see the show or hide option in the label list.

‍Hack 3- Add a Label to a Message You’re Sending

You are about to send a mail and want it to go automatically into the folder. Is this even possible? Yes, you have to follow these easy steps-

1. Go to compose.
2. Tap More options; you will find this in the bottom right corner.
3. Click Label.
4. Select a label that you want to add.

Last but not least, a bonus hack - 5 Folder Ideas to Keep your Inbox Organized and Well-managed

As a sales rep, your email etiquette speaks a lot about you and about your growth trajectory. Maybe you have zero unread emails in your inbox, or you keep your inbox piled up with emails. In both conditions, you need to keep your email well-managed and organized.

‍Here's a rundown of the list of 5 folders you can use to ease out the whole process in one go.

1- Inbox - Keep your inbox clean and free from emails that don't require any attention. Only those emails should be there that are of utmost importance.

2. Today - This requires immediate attention and is time-sensitive. So keep those emails that should be given due importance at the earliest.

3. This week - Here, you can keep emails that need to be reverted within the week and have sufficient turnaround time.

5- Information FYI - You can keep those emails you need for reference or informational purposes only. Here, reverting or responding is not required.

Streamline your Inbox with Outplay

Organizing Gmail folders is important, especially for a salesperson. Managing your mailbox can be a tough nut to crack with a plethora of emails overflowing every day. With Gmail labels, you can create, delete, rename, assign colors to your folders, and make your mailbox organized.

Now that you know how to organize your Gmail like never before; make your sales smarter through Outplay’s multi-channel outreach and better sales insights to boost sales productivity. Set up a personalized sales sequence and reach out to your prospects via Gmail in an effective and timely manner.