112 PCWorld JANUARY 2022HERE’S HOW POWER TIPS FOR GMAIL AND OUTLOOK
remember that the message will still go out
unless you cancel it first.OPTIMIZE GMAIL FOR
SNOOZING
Both Gmail and Outlook handle snoozing in
essentially the same way: You can select a
preset time to have the message return to
your inbox, or choose your own custom date
and time. But if Gmail’s preset snooze times
don’t fit your schedule, the mobile app lets
you customize them through Settings > your
email address > Snooze settings. Strangely,
you can also set default reminder times in
Google Keep (fave.co/3mmJsmY) on the
web, and those times will become your
snooze times in Gmail.
There’s just one weird quirk here: Whatever
snooze time you set for the Afternoon slot
won’t show up on the web version of Gmail. If
you prefer answering emails near the end of
the workday, consider making your morning
snooze time later or your evening snooze time
earlier to compensate.
One more bit of Gmail-specific advice:
Before you snooze an important email, think
about marking it as unread first. That way, it’ll
show up in bold again when it comes back to
your inbox. (With Outlook, this happens
automatically.)
Of course, remembering to use snooze in
the first place is half the battle. But once
you’ve gotten into the habit, it might just
become your favorite email feature.message to your archives. There is, however,
one exception: If I’m on my phone, I might
snooze an email until I know I’ll be back at my
desk, equipped with a proper keyboard.
I’ve also started snoozing my own emails,
so they’ll return to the inbox for a follow-up if
no one responds. If the recipient does
respond, it’ll cancel out whatever snooze
you’ve set so your inbox will stay uncluttered.
Although Gmail can automatically suggest
follow-up items through its own Nudges
feature, snoozing gives you full control over
the timing and those messages that need
further action.
Speaking of reminders, snoozing is a
great way to resurface appointment
information when you need it, especially
now that we’re all dealing with a barrage of
Zoom links. Instead of letting those invites
clutter up my inbox, I’ll snooze them until
shortly before each meeting. You could also
use snooze to remind yourself of looming
deadlines and to resurface a travel itinerary
on the day of your trip.
Finally, you can use Snooze in
conjunction with scheduled emails. To
schedule an email in Gmail, click the down
arrow next to the Send button on the web, or
tap the ellipsis in the top-right corner on
mobile devices. Once you’ve scheduled a
message, snooze it until shortly before the
delivery time. That way, it’ll come back to
your inbox, and you’ll have one last chance to
review any changes before it goes out. Just