Rather than just typing a name or word(s) into the Gmail search bar and hitting enter, use the power of the Advanced Search dropdown filter.
Click the advanced filter icon on the search bar to reveal all the ways you can search through your email archives.
Use advanced tactics in search, like choosing a date range and/or searching for emails that do NOT contain certain words and/or have a certain label, to help you find archived emails faster.
There’s a googol of search possibilities! << Yes, I hope you’re chuckling.
Want to Get to Inbox Zero and stay on top of your emails? Or better yet, learn all the Gmail tips and tricks? Check out the mini-course Get Productive with Gmail.
p.s. (Hack #6) This blog post is part of a series called Top 40 Google Hacks You’ll Wish You’d Been Using All Along. Download the whole handy Top 40 Google Hacks PDF.