https://manuelmoreale.com/emails A minimal email client In a world filled with chats and forums and apps, emails are still one of the most useful tools to communicate with people. I'm not an email power user by any means. My volume of emails is very low so this blog post may not be for you if you're one of those people who receives hundreds of emails every day and uses dozens of smart folders and filters. If instead you're looking for a simple way to handle emails this post could be a useful one. Few premises: I'm on Mac and this post is Mac oriented. So if you're on Windows or Linux, sorry. You could maybe achieve something similar using a different email clients though. Also, both my emails are hosted by Google. I have one traditional Gmail account for personal stuff and one GSuite account for work related things. Which means the two inboxes are 15 and 30GB respectively and I don't have to worry about space. With that in mind let's get started. My history with email clients I tried a bunch of different clients during the years. I went through Sparrow before it was bought and killed by Google, I tried AirMail, Polymail, Unibox and Spark. To be honest with you, I wasn't happy with any of those clients. Don't get me wrong, they were ok and did the job but I'm a weird person and I like simplicity. Sometimes I want a tool that does one thing and nothing more. Smart inbox is nice, filters are great but I don't want to use them. I want to get my emails, read them, reply to them and archive them. And that's it. My current setup My current inbox looks like this [inbox] Yes, it's quite minimal. I want my inbox empty. If there's something in there, it means I have to do something about it. And that something is either archive it or reply to it. But before I dive into the ins and outs of this set up let's see how you can set it up. The Settings The first thing you wanna do is set up Mail as your default client and turn off all notifications. I hate notifications. I don't want my mac to ding or ring at random. Plus, no email is really urgent in my world. You can adjust this according to your preference though. That's up to you. [general] As for the font, I like to use San Francisco but that's also a personal preference. Size is also up to you. 14 is the sweet spot in my opinion. [font] Next up we have viewing options. A couple of things here. You don't want to use the classic layout because it need too much horizontal space. You can however turn on the contact photos as well as the list preview. [viewing] I have both turned off because I don't need to see pictures and I don't need to have a preview of the message. I want to open the email to see what's inside and then decide what to do. [options-vi] Next you want to set Archive as the default action to the discard move. This will allow you to swipe left on the message to show the archive icon. As I said at the beginning, I archive everything since I have plenty of space available in my inbox. [archive] You also want to have the most recent message at the top. As for the option when you're composing a new message, I'm not a fan of quoting the entire message every time so I turned off that option. [composing] With the settings done, we can now move into the View options and hide everything that's not necessary. You want to hide the tab bar, sort the messages by date and have the most recent at the top, hide the Mailbox list, disable the Message Filter and hide the Favorites Bar. [options] You do want to to keep the Toolbar though because that's where the search fields lives. We can now move to the toolbar. If you right click on it you can customize it. As you can see from the picture below, I deleted everything and the only thing left is the search field. And in order to have the search field centered inside the window I added two spacer on each side of the search field. [toolbar] Also make sure to display the icon only. As for the message window, things there are pretty straightforward. [single] Each message opens in a new window and as you can see from the picture, the only button left in the toolbar is the reply button. I'm not a fan of replying all but you can tweak that based on your needs. [message-to] And that's pretty much it. You should now have an uber minimal email client. I particularly like it because it's super focused. If something is in my inbox I need to act on it. And I have only two options available: reply and archive. If I need to get an old email I have a handy search bar always available at the top. [empty] If you decide to give this setup a go let me know. Also let me know if you have ideas about how to improve it. I'm always happy to try new things. Where do you go from here? If you find there's any value in what I do and want to help, you can support directly. If you have thoughts, comment or just want to connect with a fellow human being get in touch. Sometimes I send a newsletter from the top of a mountain. February's Thoughts A moment with sun and hot tea --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Responsibilities --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd View All Thoughts 2021January The curse of the perfect tool --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Thoughts on newsletters --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th 2020December We wrote a little something --------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th November On November the 18th --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Since Google asked... --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th Containers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th On monetary support --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th A moment with mountains and clouds --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st October A moment on the trenches --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Let's play the internet game --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Not a success story --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th A moment with my brother --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th A moment on the border --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th September Words --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th A moment on the mountains --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th A moment with myself up on the mountains --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th Blogrolls and Links --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th A moment with a clear sky and a sunset --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Manufactured Authenticity --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th August Self reflection --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th On August the 9th --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th July Friends' Projects --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th On July the 27th --------------------------------------------------------------------- 27th On side projects, money, motivations and human connections --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th Welcome to Manu's website --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th My internet has no comments --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th How to start a blog --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th June Domain Squatters --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th On Value --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th The reachability illusion --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th On Web Responsibilities --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th On Random Interactions: Part Two --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th A quick update on browsers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th May On Random Interactions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th On Clutter, Noise, Abundance and Less --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th On Websites --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th The May Update --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th April On burning out, breaking the law, disappearing and cabin fever --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd My new portfolio --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th March Stories --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th Bits and Bytes of Humanity --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th Subscriptions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th For the people who are listening... --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th February Meandering Rivers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th Web Responsibilities --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Smallness --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th My weird phone setup, two years later --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Why I hate money --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th A moment on a familiar peak --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th Workspace --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Kind Words --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd January Discoverability --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Simple solutions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Faceless relationships --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th I don't know how to browse the internet anymore --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th Moments In Time --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st 2019December Fashion time --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Here we go again --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th November Trust --------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th Closing thoughts: Living a simple life is not easy --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Chapter 5: Objects are not everything --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Chapter 4: Digital and Physical --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Chapter 3: Function over Form --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Chapter 2: Design doesn't matter --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Chapter 1: The Mindset --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th Introduction: What Minimalism is and is not --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Manu's guide to minimalism --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th October Cento --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Knowing yourself --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Confidence --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Meditations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th Websites and complexity --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Smart Technology --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th What makes you happy? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Human debugging --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Leaving a mark --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th Ups and downs --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st August Setups --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Minimal Technology --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Quitting social media --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th Minimalism and Technology --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th A Short Hike --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th Understated design --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th July A simple browser --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th May Mental Space --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th Writing, Hiking and Sharing --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th I want my phone to be a washing machine --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd April Life, money, work, and a bunch of other things --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th Low tech solutions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th March What does minimalism sound like? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th Digital and Work Setup --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Minimalism Life --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th February Time --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Hello fellow human being --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th January Technology of thoughts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Addition by subtraction --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Problems and solutions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th Digital Hermit --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th 2018December Walking --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th November A bit of this, a bit of that --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Lists are hard --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th Blogs --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Why I stopped using feeds --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st October The rhythm of digital life --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Seven --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Let's talk Minimalism --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th September Timeless design --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Another iPhone post --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th A moment with the sunset and some puddles --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st August Do not disturb --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th Ignore the numbers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Why I love emails --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Quiet web --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th July A minimal browser --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th The curation issue --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th Online authenticity --------------------------------------------------------------------- 23rd There are people on the other side --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Who are you? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Typography and spacing in CSS --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th History of my personal website --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th Watching The World Cup --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th Mnmlqts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd June Mnmllist --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Minimalissimo Shop --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Be deliberate --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th A reflection on digital publications --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th TTRO --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th Things To Read Online --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th My "Water May" --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd May "Not so quick" update --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th The usefulness of preferences --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th My April without surfing the internet --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th April My March with no sweets, cookies and cakes --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st March Alessandro Scarpellini --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th Portfolios --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd My weird phone setup --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th A minimal email client --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th My February without music and podcasts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st February This is it --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th A January with no computer before lunch --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd January Numbers and stats --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Meditation as a design tool --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st The Gallery - Version Six --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th I own a smartphone --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd A December with no wifi --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st 2017December Year in review, 2017 edition --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th Opinions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Personal brand is a stupid concept --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th How to deal with iOS like a crazy person --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th A November without digital entertainment --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st November Being a "digital nomad" is overrated --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th Designed Space --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Collaborations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th 6.04 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th An October without phone and tablet --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st October Podcast Recommendations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th Have fun --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Money and Stress --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th September A September without gaming --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th What matters --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Declutter --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th On tools and crafts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th My year of living without --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Way too many side projects --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th Looking for something to read? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th August The unappreciated value of silence --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th Do I need this? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th July Minimalissimo --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th March A moment with water and waterfalls --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th February Winter is almost over --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Style and lifestyle --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Self questioning --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Deal with it --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th January Obstacles --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th Find something that works for you --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st I hate you Winter --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th So far so good. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Habits. habits everywhere. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st NowAbout