Gmail Email Management Tools to Boost Productivity

Emails flood your inbox daily, fragmenting your focus and draining productivity. The truth is, emails aren’t going to stop coming. Your inbox fills up daily, and those unread notifications are hard to ignore. In fact, a study by McKinsey & Company reveals that the average professional spends 28% of their workday simply managing emails.

Before you know it, you are spending more time than you planned—sorting, replying, and figuring out what to do with each email—until it feels like your inbox is running your day.

It’s frustrating, but you’re not alone. When the emails keep coming, getting organized is the best way to find peace. That’s where productivity tools can help, making it easier to manage your inbox and focus on what really matters.

This post will highlight a few commonly used Gmail productivity tools that can help spur business growth. 

What Is an Email Management Tool?

An email management tool helps you organize, prioritize, and streamline your inbox, ensuring that important messages never slip through the cracks. 

With features like email scheduling, smart categorization, auto-replies, and advanced filters, you can save time and eliminate clutter. For businesses, this means enhanced relationships with clients and partners, more sales, more efficient communication, greater support, and less churn. 

You can track emails, manage follow-ups, and integrate your inbox with other tools you rely on, like project management software or CRMs. Whether you're drowning in emails or simply looking to optimize your workflow, an email management tool can turn Gmail into the ultimate productivity booster for your business.

Built-In Gmail Productivity Features

You'll get to third-party productivity tools for Gmail shortly, but first,  go through the built-in productivity tools in Gmail.

1. Filters & Labels 

Think of labels and filters as your personal assistants for email management. Labels let you categorize your emails so you can quickly find what you need without scrolling endlessly. Pair them with filters, and you’ve got a game-changer—set up rules to automatically label, archive, or prioritize incoming emails. 

2. Keyboards & Shortcuts

Imagine navigating your inbox without needing to use your mouse—that’s the magic of keyboard shortcuts in Gmail. With a few key presses, you can compose, archive, reply, or move emails in seconds. 

Shortcuts help you skip the repetitive clicks and keep your workflow smooth and lightning-fast. Activate them in Gmail settings and learn the essentials, like “C” for composing or “E” to archive. 

3. Undo Send 

Ever hit “Send” and immediately regret it? With Gmail’s Undo Send, you get a second chance to fix mistakes, add forgotten details, or rethink that email entirely. 

Once you enable this feature, you’ll have a few precious seconds to undo the send with just one click. It’s your safety net for avoiding typos, wrong recipients, or poorly phrased messages—because even the best of us need a do-over sometimes!

4. Snooze

Got an email you can’t deal with right now? Hit snooze! Gmail’s Snooze feature lets you temporarily hide emails and bring them back to your inbox exactly when you’re ready. Whether it’s a follow-up for later in the day or a task for next week, you’re in control of when and how you handle it. 

While Gmail’s built-in tools are powerful, there are even more ways to boost your productivity. Read on to find out how!

How Can You Boost Productivity for Gmail?

Managing your Gmail doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. With the right features and tools, you can transform your inbox into a productivity hub that works for you. Here’s how you can streamline your inbox and get more done with less effort.

1. Shared Inbox: Collaborate Seamlessly

Transform your Gmail into a shared inbox to assign emails, track responses, and avoid duplicated efforts. It’s perfect for managing customer inquiries or group projects efficiently.

2. Spam Management: Keep the Junk Away

Use Gmail’s spam filters to block unwanted messages and fine-tune them for important emails. Spend less time sorting junk and focus more on what matters.

3. Encryption and Digital Signatures: Secure Your Communication

Protect sensitive business information with encryption and digital signatures for added security and trust. This ensures both email safety and your reputation.

4. Grammar and Spell Check: Polish Every Email

Use Gmail’s grammar and spell-check tools to refine your messages and avoid embarrassing typos. Ensure clear, professional, and mistake-free communication every time.

Did you know? With NewMail's Smart Drafts feature, as soon as you receive an email, it proactively prepares a draft response for you. All you need to do is edit and send, saving you valuable time. This ensures your replies are both quick and professional while allowing you to maintain personalized communication with ease

5. Inbox Lockdown: Focus When You Need It

Enable inbox lockdown to pause notifications and emails during focused work  sessions. Minimize distractions and get through your to-do list uninterrupted.

6. Turn Emails into Tasks: Stay on Top of Priorities

Use Gmail’s Google Tasks integration to turn emails into tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. Stay productive and never lose track of important follow-ups—or, alternately, let Newmail do it for you. 

Next, let's explore the top Gmail productivity tools!

Top 10 Email Tools to Boost Productivity

Managing your inbox effectively can give a big boost to productivity. With Gmail's email management tools, you can streamline your workflow, stay organized, and reclaim control of your time. 

Here are the 10 top productivity tools to help you do just that.

1. NewMail

Overwhelmed by spam and promotions? NewMail is your personalized solution. It organizes your inbox into custom categories which are text instructions that your AI assistant can execute for you. These help prioritize important emails, so you stay focused on important tasks that matter.

Core Features:

• Task Management: Identify actionable items in your emails and seamlessly add them to your to-do list to keep track of priorities.

• Automated Smart Responses: Automatically drafts high-quality responses to important emails, saving you time while delivering personalized attention at scale.

• Inbox Decluttering: Quickly sort emails into categories based on their content like Project X or Customer 3.

• Inbox Prioritization: Allow your AI assistant to manage unwanted content, such as CCs and cold calls, by automatically marking them as read, archiving them, or organizing them into designated folders—putting you in full control. 

Pricing:

• Free Tier: Organize your last 50 emails and find the biggest sources of clutter to easily unsubscribe from.

• Premium Plan: Advanced prioritization, smart drafts, daily briefings, contact management, calendar management, and task tracking at $15/month.

2. Unroll.Me

Unroll.Me is like a Marie Kondo for your inbox. It organizes your subscriptions into a single daily digest so that you can see everything at a glance.

Core Features:

• Subscription Roll-Up: Combine all your newsletters into a single, streamlined email.

• One-Click Unsubscribe: Easily ditch unwanted subscriptions in a click.

• Digest Customization: Choose when and how you receive your roll-up.

Pricing:

Completely free to use!

3. Mailstrom

Mailstrom is perfect for when your inbox feels out of control. It organizes emails into groups and lets you clean them up in bulk.

Core Features:

• Bulk Actions: Delete, archive, or move thousands of emails at once.

• Group Sorting: Organize emails by sender, subject, or time frame.

• Custom Filters: Set your own rules for inbox cleanup.

Pricing:

• Basic Plan: Free for up to 5,000 emails.

• Pro Plan: $9/month for unlimited access.

4. Sortd

Sortd brings a new level of organization to Gmail by transforming your inbox into a drag-and-drop task board. This lets you easily categorize, prioritize, and manage emails as actionable tasks. 

Core Features:

• Visual Workflow: Organize emails into task boards with lists and columns.

• Drag-and-Drop: Easily move emails between columns to track progress.

• Shared Boards: Collaborate on tasks with your team directly within Gmail.

Pricing:

• Free Plan: Limited task boards and sharing.

• Pro Plan: $10/month for advanced features like unlimited boards.

5. Boomerang

Boomerang makes email scheduling a breeze, allowing you to send and receive emails at the perfect time. It enhances your email management and helps you stay in control of your communication.

Core Features:

• Email Scheduling: Write emails now and send them later.

• Reminders: Get nudged to follow up on unanswered emails.

• Read Receipts: Know when your email has been read.

Pricing:

• Basic Plan: Free for limited scheduling.

• Pro Plan: $15/month with unlimited features including insights.

6. Simple Gmail Notes

Ever wished you could add a sticky note to an email? With Simple Gmail Notes, you can! Attach quick reminders and context to emails without cluttering your inbox.

Core Features:

• Contextual Notes: Attach notes to specific emails for easy reference.

• Color-Coding: Organize notes by color to prioritize or categorize.

• Sync Across Devices: Access your notes on any device.

Pricing:

• Free and open-source.

7. EmailAnalytics

EmailAnalytics is a Gmail email management tool that helps you understand how you spend your time in Gmail, making it easier to boost productivity.

Core Features:

• Time Tracking: See how much time you spend on emails daily.

• Productivity Reports: Get detailed insights into your email habits.

• Team Monitoring: Track email usage across your team.

Pricing:

$15/month per user for Pro.

8. FlowCrypt

FlowCrypt is a powerful email encryption tool that seamlessly integrates with Gmail, ensuring your messages are secure. It enables end-to-end encryption, ensuring your sensitive emails stay private. 

Core Features:

• Simple Encryption: Easily encrypt emails with a single click.

• PGP Compatibility: Works with all major email providers.

• Attachment Security: Encrypt attachments for added safety.

Pricing:

• Free Plan: Basic encryption tools.

• Premium Plan: Custom pricing options available.

9. PixelBlock

PixelBlock prevents tracking pixels from recording when you read emails, giving you complete control over your privacy. With PixelBlock, you can read emails without worrying about being monitored.

Core Features:

• Tracking Alerts: Know when tracking attempts are made.

• Automatic Blocking: Stop trackers before they load.

Pricing:

Completely free.

10. Todoist

Todoist integrates with Gmail to help you manage tasks directly from your inbox. All you need to do is just add emails to your to-do list so you can get to them on your schedule.

Core Features:

• Email-to-Task Conversion: Turn emails into actionable tasks in one click.

• Priority Levels: Organize tasks by deadlines and importance.

• Cross-Platform Sync: Access tasks across all your devices.

Pricing:

• Free Plan: Basic task management.

• Premium Plan: $4/month for advanced features when billed yearly.

By leveraging these powerful Gmail email management tools, you can enhance your efficiency, streamline communication, and regain control over your inbox. Whether it’s scheduling emails, setting reminders, or organizing your messages, these features are designed to help you work smarter, not harder. 

What are the Benefits of Third-Party Email Management Tools?

Gmail's built-in tools provide a solid foundation for email management, but integrating third-party software like NewMail can take your productivity to new heights. These tools offer enhanced features that help you manage your inbox more efficiently and effectively. 

Here are the key benefits:

• Automated Actions: NewMail and similar tools enable smart filters and automated replies, saving you time on routine tasks.

• Advanced Organization: These third-party tools provide additional labels, boards, and customizable workflows to help you categorize and prioritize emails with ease.

• Enhanced Collaboration: Third-party tools integrate seamlessly with Gmail, allowing for team collaboration, shared inboxes, and real-time communication without leaving your inbox.

• Follow-Up and Tracking: Third-party tools allow you to set email reminders, track open rates, and schedule follow-ups so you never miss important conversations.

• Improved Focus: These tools provide features like email snooze, priority tracking, and task management to help you focus on high-priority emails.

Conclusion

While Gmail is incredibly powerful, the tools mentioned in this blog can help boost your productivity and email management, allowing you to get more done in less time. 

NewMail as your executive AI assistant, efficiently organizes, prioritizes, and optimizes your emails. It categorizes messages by importance and generates smart, time-saving replies, freeing you from the complexities of email management. With your inbox streamlined, you can focus your time and energy on driving business impact and achieving your goals.

Enjoy your smart inbox—focus on what matters, never lose tasks, and answer emails in record time. Start using NewMail today and experience the difference for yourself!