If you have a Gmail address, did you know that you can tweak it in a few ways to make your life easier and your inbox less cluttered? Gmail lets you add periods anywhere in the front part of your email address, or a plus sign with an extra word, and the email will still make it to your inbox. shellypalmer@gmail.com registers the same as shelly.palmer@gmail.com or shellypalmer+spam@gmail.com. So what difference does this make, and why should you care? Two words: Gmail’s filters. To avoid unnecessary emails from sites you don’t care about, sign up with an email address like shellypalmer+spam@gmail.com. Then, in Gmail’s settings, filter all mail sent to that email address to be marked as read and archived, or sent straight to your trash. You can also use this feature to make sure you never miss an email from a close friend. Give them a special address, like shelly.palmer, then filter those to be marked as high priority. The possibilities are endless. Go give it a try today!