Managing Jira Ticket Update Spam using Outlook Rules

Does the thought of missing an important task fill you with anxiety? Are you constantly buried under an avalanche of emails? Thinking of declaring email bankruptcy?

There is a better way to live. Your inbox can be tamed. You can process your emails in the first 30 minutes of the morning, and plan your day out proactively. You can choose peace of mind.

No, I’m not talking about Inbox Zero. Inbox Zero is life changing, but if you’re reading this article you probably laugh at the thought of logging off for the day with an empty inbox.

For those living inside a ticketing system like Jira or Zendesk, being inundated with literally thousands of emails a week is a fact of life.

How can we cut the number of automated emails down to a manageable level, while ensuring that nothing is missed? Inbox Rules.

Step 1: Create a “Jira” subfolder

Create a subfolder for the offending automated system in the Archive folder of your inbox.

Emails that you no longer have to look at!

Step 2: Create the Inbox Rule

Searching for settings is MUCH quicker than trying to find them manually.

The magic here is just how easy this is.

I’m blessed with a unique name. This allows me to setup company wide filters for an informal “Shelby” rather than @shelby.Jenkins or Shelby Jenkins.

Simple right? This rule moves all emails with “Jira” in the subject to the Jira Updates subfolder we just created. BUT, if an email comes in with your name in the subject or body, it will be retained in your inbox.

This works well with Jira. You only get an email in your inbox when someone @s you, or when someone assigns a ticket to you, and this is good because those emails usually require more immediate attention from you.

Useless day to day updates though? Those emails get filtered out by this rule. And that’s good. Updates to most tickets don’t require immediate action. Normal priority tickets should be pushed along to their next step during a daily ticket review.

Step 3: Appreciate, Tweak, and Repeat

Any other automated system blowing up your inbox? Is a certain company sending you daily, weekly, or monthly emails that you don’t need to see? Time is money, and your time is your life, literally. Ten seconds to archive a useless email adds up.

Personally, I’ve had to create multiple filters to wrangle in multiple automated email systems. It took some minor tweaking to the rules over the first few weeks, but now my inbox is tame and peaceful. I generally process my emails early in the morning, and plan my day based on what ever is the highest priority in my inbox. This gives me the choice of how to spend my time rather than reactively scrambling as the day tries to run me over.

It’s a better way to live.