In an era dominated by digital communication, our inboxes have become both a lifeline and a labyrinth. As Email has evolved into an indispensable tool for professional and personal correspondence, the sheer volume of messages flooding our inboxes has reached overwhelming proportions. The incessant ping of incoming emails can make it feel like we’re drowning in a sea of information, desperately searching for a lifeboat.

If you’ve found yourself spending more time sifting through your inbox than actually getting work done, you’re not alone. The struggle against email overload is real, but fear not — help is at hand. In this blog post, we’ll explore a range of powerful tools designed to rescue you from the clutches of email overwhelm.

From methods for decluttering your inbox by eliminating unnecessary messages to leveraging innovative tools that intelligently redirect message content elsewhere, we’ve got you covered.

1. ProofHub Transforms Email to Tasks

ProofHub is the perfect solution to ditch your inbox clutter altogether. It’s a comprehensive project management and team collaboration software that offers a variety of tools to keep everything well organized. You can find every bit of information related to your work at arm’s length under one virtual roof.

ProofHub provides a variety of tools to keep your team organized. You can easily create tasks, assign them to specific team members, and include detailed instructions using customizable fields. Everything is kept in sync in real time, allowing you to maintain complete control over your project’s progress. Team members can collaborate effectively by adding comments, attaching files, and even delegating tasks to each other directly within ProofHub.

One of ProofHub’s strengths is its built-in chat functionality. This eliminates the need for lengthy email exchanges and streamlines communication. Team members can discuss ideas, clarify instructions, request updates, and share files — all within a central location. This eliminates the hassle of searching through long email threads and managing multiple attachments.

ProofHub’s pricing structure is another advantage. They offer flat, transparent plans with unlimited users starting at $45 per month. This can be a cost-effective solution for teams of all sizes.

Stop drowning in emails. Take control of your remote team’s collaboration with a free ProofHub trial today!

2. SaneBox Helps With Message Prioritization

SaneBox is an email management tool that seamlessly organizes and filters emails. Once you set up the tool, you will likely avoid email overload and save up to four hours of email reading per week. With all of this automation and time savings, it’s no wonder PC Magazine awarded SaneBox with a five-star review.

SaneBox uses intuitive machine learning algorithms to learn your email organization preferences and apply them to each incoming message. Anytime a new message is sent to you, SaneBox automatically places it into a folder based on its perceived level of importance based on previous actions you’ve taken and its knowledge of the message contents.

By sorting messages into unique folders such as Inbox, SaneLater, SaneNews, and SaneBulk, you can focus on the folders that are most important to you and leave the others for a later date. Also, you can skip over unwanted messages entirely by sending them to the SaneBox Black Hole by default.

However, the benefits of SaneBox don’t stop there. With other notable features like Email Deep Clean, you can remove old messages to make space for new items that roll in. Also, you can remove unneeded messages with necessary attachments by downloading the attachments from your message via the SaneAttachments tool.

SaneBox works with any email client, including Outlook, Gmail, and Yahoo. You can use the app on any Windows, Mac, or mobile device. Subscription plans begin at just $7 per month, after a 14-day free trial. The company also offers discounts to those who select annual or biannual subscriptions. Here’s a $25 credit to get you started.

2. EmailAnalytics Identifies Critical Inbox Times

Both remote employees and in-office staff struggle with finding the best time to hop into their inboxes each day. Some people set calendar reminders or timers for certain times in the day, whereas others just leave their inbox open and jump in as soon as a new message arrives. Unfortunately, this not only decreases productivity but also does nothing to prevent email overload.

This is where EmailAnalytics comes in — it provides tangible data remote employees can use to determine when they check their email messages each day. The tool provides numerous insights related to email messages, including breakdowns in email traffic by date and time. Plotting this information in a graph or chart can help users identify patterns and trends that can lead to better email management.

For instance, if you notice that you receive 50 percent of your emails between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm each day, you can plan to hop into your inbox immediately after that time and knock out your messages quickly. Similarly, if your average response time for the 12:00 pm hour is significantly higher than your response time at 9:00 am, you can avoid responding to emails during that noon hour when you are otherwise occupied.

EmailAnalytics subscription plans start out at just $15/month per inbox. The tool is compatible with Gmail, Google Workspace, and Outlook. Their website does not list any other compatibility options for email clients. It does, however, support an integration with HubSpot.

3. TextExpander Takes Over Repetitive Communication

Depending on your role within a company, you may send the same message (or similar variations thereof) dozens of times per day. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a simple tool that saved templates for you and inserted them into email threads each time you type a trigger word? TextExpander does just that.

As you recognize common messages and replies you send, you can create templates or snippets in TextExpander. Then, instead of typing the entire message out each time, you can enter a trigger word or phrase and let TextExpander drop the pre-constructed template in for you. Then, you can optimize the message and add personal touches before sending it.

Not sure if TextExpander will work for you? You can test the waters with a 30-day free trial before selecting one of four subscription tiers.

4. Slack Improves Internal Communication

Slack isn’t a tool for your inbox; it’s an instant messaging tool utilized by countless companies around the globe. Despite working outside of your email system, it still helps you solve the email overload problem because of its communication features.

Remote employees don’t have the benefit of in-person interactions with coworkers. Therefore, all their communication must occur electronically, even if it’s just a quick question. Instead of putting all of these questions and needs into email threads, you can use Slack to streamline the process. This saves you from email overload and often speeds up the time between a question and a response.

Slack also supports many of the same features as email, such as file sharing, conversation support for groups or teams, and individual messaging. You can even create separate channels for different types of communication and use tagging to get specific people’s attention. You can also use the Huddle feature to have live voice communication with video or screen sharing.

Slack offers a number of subscription levels, with the free base plan being an option for small teams. It works with all devices and supports integrations with many popular tools at no additional cost.

5. superReply Saves Time With Replies

Many people struggle with crafting email replies, especially remote employees who send dozens or even hundreds of messages per day. Thankfully, artificial intelligence (AI) has made it easier than ever to craft contextually appropriate responses to messages from coworkers or clients.

One of the best tools for this is superreply. The tool can generate smart responses in a matter of seconds, ensuring you say the right thing to any message. It also supports tone and style recognition, meaning it can imitate your typical response personality, which prevents you from sounding like a robot.

Although the tool must read your messages to craft the best possible response, superReply takes security very seriously. The company uses industry-standard encryption and doesn’t collect or sell your data.

superReply works with a variety of email clients, browsers, and tools, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Outlook, Gmail, and Slack. You can use the free version, or access unlimited replies for just $8.90 per month.

Are You Ready to Leave Email Overload Behind?

Email overload can stress even the most disciplined remote employees. However, with these incredible tools at your disposal, it’s easier than ever to leave email overload behind and enjoy a squeaky-clean inbox. This helps you avoid remote work burnout and gives you better control over your days.

Just remember: your email inbox is one aspect of remote work. You also need strong task management skills, a well-organized calendar, and clear communication to make the most of your virtual work experience.

Author Bio

Thomas Yuan is a dot connector, a creator of value, and a dedicated player-coach. His passion for creative and collaborative growth helps him to find new opportunities for growth. He serves as the Head of Partnerships for SaneBox, the email management solution for any inbox.

6 Tools to Prevent Email Overload for Remote Employees was originally published in ProofHub Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.