Taming My Gmail Inbox: What Actually Worked (And What Didn’t)

Recently, a client asked how I manage my inbox, and it was the push I needed to take a good hard look at my own email habits. I’d seen a few auto-responses from colleagues using smart tools, and with over 1,900 unread emails in my Gmail inbox… it was time to do something.

But here’s the thing:

Before trying new software or setting up rules, ask yourself if email is really the problem.

For a lot of us (myself included), it’s not the emails themselves, it’s the mental clutter that email creates. The weight of “I should reply,” or “I can’t forget that one…” takes up more space than we realize.

It reminded me of how I used to think that emptying the dishwasher or taking out the recycling was a huge time drain. Then I timed it:

• Dishwasher? 8 minutes
  
  
• Recycling (even with a slow elevator)? 12 minutes
  Turns out, it wasn’t the task. It was thinking about the task.

The same goes for your inbox. So I spent an hour testing email triage tools and here’s what actually worked for me and what might help you, too.

Step 1: Clean Email: Bulk Clean + Unsubscribes

clean.email

Setup:
Clean Email connected easily by signing into my Google account.

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Cleaning Suggestions

It provided grouped cleaning suggestions like messages from businesses I no longer needed. I could choose what to do with each group.

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Clicking on a group showed me the individual emails inside, which made decisions easier.

Autoclean Rules

There’s an option to set up Autoclean rules to automatically archive emails from specific senders. I didn’t try it this time, but it looks great for ongoing inbox maintenance.

Bulk Unsubscribe

One of my favorite features: Clean Email found 81 mailing lists I could unsubscribe from and then offered to delete all emails from those senders too!

Some of those subscriptions went back to 2017 and 2020! No wonder I had so many irrelevant emails.

Results:

• Time spent: ~20 minutes
  
  
• Unread count: 1,382
  
  
• Emails cleaned: 535+
  
  

Note: The free version cleans 1,000 emails. If Gmail is your main provider, this is well worth trying.

Step 2: SaneBox — AI That Sorts for You

🔗 sanebox.com

I connected SaneBox at 3:40 PM. Setup was fast and seamless.

Smart Filtering with SaneLater

SaneBox moved unimportant emails to a folder called SaneLater, which you can train over time. It also sends a daily summary email to help you review what’s been filtered.

Newsletter and “Black Hole” Tools

SaneBox automatically identified:

• 15 newsletters
• 120 emails set to trash after 30 days

It also flagged 18 senders for its "Black Hole" feature, which permanently deletes future emails from them. It showed subject lines to help me decide which ones to include.

 Results

• Down to 740 unread emails
• Took just ~10 minutes
• Smart filters and daily summaries make it easy to maintain
• Adds new Gmail labels, which may require a little adjustment

Heads up: It adds new Gmail labels and folders. You may need a few days to get used to the layout but it’s effective.

Step 3: Mailstrom — Fast Bulk Cleanup by Sender

mailstrom.co

At 3:50 PM, I connected Mailstrom using their free trial. I quickly grouped and removed emails by sender.

Unfortunately, I hit the free trial limit before I could take more screenshots.

Results

• Final unread count: 346
• Fast and intuitive
• Great for bulk cleaning by sender

Bonus: FollowUpThen — For Managing Replies

followupthen.com

This tool isn’t for cleaning, but it’s incredibly helpful for reminders and follow-ups.

What It Does

• Tag emails for follow-up later
• Cancel reminders automatically if a reply is received
• Sync with Zapier or your calendar
• Use cc or bcc to send reminders to your team

Note: It requires a credit card to test fully, but it seems perfect for staying on top of tasks without keeping emails open in your inbox.

Final Recap: Time vs Results

Email Cleanup Tool Comparison

Clean Email

Time Spent: ~20 minutes

Emails Removed: ~535

Notes: Bulk unsubscribe + grouped cleanup

SaneBox

Time Spent: ~10 minutes

Emails Removed: ~642

Notes: Smart filtering + Black Hole feature

Mailstrom

Time Spent: ~10 minutes

Emails Removed: ~394

Notes: Sender-based deletions

FollowUpThen

Time Spent: —

Emails Removed: N/A

Notes: Great for follow-up tasks, but not designed for inbox cleaning

Start: 1,917 unread emails

End: 346 unread emails

Time spent: Less than 1 hour! 

Inbox overwhelm is real but it doesn’t have to control your day.

Whether you’re running a busy solo bookkeeping practice or supporting a full client list, email can become manageable with the right tools (and mindset).

Try one or two of the tools above and track your time. You might be surprised by what a difference it makes.

And if you’re ready to clean up more than just your inbox (your client list, systems, or even your workflow) let’s talk. Book a discovery call and we’ll make a plan to simplify things: www.mycloudbookkeeping.org/consultation

Cheers,

Kerry

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