I hate email. I really, really do. Rarely does good news come through my inbox. Instead, I receive everything from administrative requests to complaints to spam. Over the course of the last couple of years, I’ve tried to do everything possible to scale back how much I have to use email. We’ve started using Slack which dramatically cuts down the email my staff sends and I’ve implemented other strategies to reduce the overall amount of email that I receive on a daily basis. Unfortunately, I can’t get away from using email entirely as much as I would love to do so. Resigned to this fact, I’m constantly on the lookout for ways to help me manage and minimize the stress from my email inbox. Over the past six months, I have started using the plugin Mailbutler and I highly recommend you use Mailbutler to supercharge Apple Mail.
As longtime readers know, I’m a big fan of Apple products including many of the built-in programs that come on Mac laptops and computers.
Apple Mail, the email client that comes with Macs, has been my primary email software for probably a decade if not longer. The look, feel, and usability have led me to continue with Apple Mail even if the program lacks the bells and whistles available with other email clients.
Fortunately, I came across a new plugin for Apple Mail that I’ve been using for about six months now. I love it and it really takes Apple Mail to the next level.
Mailbutler is a program that you install inside of Apple Mail that adds new features directly to the software. When I have used programs like this in the past, they have often felt clunky and like an add-on. Mailbutler has none of this and fits seamlessly into Apple Mail.
Mailbutler bills itself as a “personal assistant for your Apple Mail.” The software has a limited free version but I found that I quickly burned through this. Fortunately, the folks at Cult of Mac have a great sale going on right now (note: I make no money off of this, I just really like the software). You can get a lifetime subscription for just $35. This is a steal and I’d easily be willing to pay 2-3 times more for the service.
There are a huge number of features that come with Mailbutler but there are a few that I use every day. I can’t imagine getting through my email without these now.
1. Snooze your emails
This is my favorite feature– by far. I absolutely love being able to say I’m not tackling this email for a day or week. For quick emails, I’ve always recommended just immediately taking care of the item so you don’t have to keep dealing with it. Yet, for some emails you have to take a while to respond. This feature gets the email out of your inbox helping implement Inbox Zero.
2. Delay send.
As I’ve written before, delaying sending your email can be a boon to reducing the amount of email you receive. This is particularly true when responding to student emails. Mailbutler makes delaying your emails incredibly simple.
3. Track when your email is opened
Have you ever wondered if someone got your email? Mailbutler has a feature that tracks when an email is opened. I use this feature when I’m trying to decide whether to follow up with someone who hasn’t responding to an email. If I know they never opened it or they opened it a week ago with no response, I don’t feel the least bit bad in sending another email.
4. Attachment reminder
Ever hit send before adding the attachment to your email. This is a common feature in many email clients but inexplicably isn’t part of Apple Mail. Mailbutler solves that problem.
5. Unsubscribe from lists.
Another way that I like to reduce my email is getting off of lists that I don’t need to want any longer. Mailbutler adds an easy way to do this that I’ve found to be incredibly effective— right inside of Apple Mail.
6. Create Evernote note.
Often, I want to create an Evernote note based on an email I received. Before, I could just forward the email to my personalized Evernote email address. With Mailbutler, this process is even more streamlined and done with 1 click of a button inside of Apple Mail which doesn’t seem like a big deal but it is just one little way to make life easier.
A Great Tool to Help With Your Academic and Administrative Work
To be sure, Mailbutler isn’t perfect. In addition to the price, I have found that my email crashes more than it used to before installing the plugin. I haven’t found this to be a terribly big deal as I can just reopen Apple Mail, but it is something that I hope gets eliminated over time.
Overall though, I can’t recommend Mailbutler highly enough. It greatly expands the capabilities of Apple Mail and it an essential tool in my productivity toolbox. I strongly encourage you to use Mailbutler to supercharge your Apple Mail.
