Using multiple email accounts
Why use multiple email accounts?
As I mentioned earlier the main reason to have multiple email accounts aside from the convenience of organising your emails is to protect your personal information, privacy and security.
There are online services that offer this service, but I wanted complete control so I manage my email through my own private domains.
It is fair to say I have gone to the extreme, for most people there is a happy balance to be had and at the very least you should have a seperate email account for every financial service that you use.
I have set out 8 very good reasons to use seperate emails, click each of the headings in the table below to find out more.
Seperating business from personal emails
Using the same email address for both personal and work-related email may be okay if you get a few messages a day and only one or two of them are important. But when your contact base grows and you start getting dozens of messages every day, using one email account will become impractical.
When you have a separate email address for personal and another one for business matters, it’s much easier to manage and prioritise.
Arranging better filtering for spam and subscriptions
When you want to receive an e-book or research paper, register on a website or a community, or receive interesting news, having a separate email address for what will eventually turn into spam is a nice way to protect your private inbox.
If you use one email account for conversations and registrations or subscriptions, it will soon be filled to the brim with all kinds of emails, from newsletters you wanted to spam you hate.
Protecting your online identity
In line with the previous point, having multiple email accounts can help you protect your private inbox, such as using an alternate email for matters that aren’t work-related, such as blogging, long-range informal communications, online surveys, or forums.
In this case, you may need a less-recognisable email address than the typical layout or a domain that effectively tracks back to you. For example, it can be the same as your blog name.
Improving you security
Having multiple email accounts helps keep your online presence secure. For example, you can utilise an throwaway email for one off online purchases. If you don’t, your information may end up on a mailing list or dark web.
You may want to increase the security of personal or business data you don’t want to be disclosed. This goes for financial accounts, distribution documents, and many other reasons for which a seperate email may be suitable. Just keep it secret so nobody knows it exists — and nobody wants to steal the password.
Separating marketing campaign launches from the rest
In line with the previous point, having multiple email accounts can help you protect your private inbox, such as using an alternate email for matters that aren’t work-related, such as blogging or online surveys, or forums.
In this case, you may need a less-recognisable email address than the typical layout or a domain that effectively tracks back to you. For example, it can be the same as your blog name.
Backing up your main email
You may want to have a backup email address for password recovery purposes and to ensure you are aware of unauthorised access to your email. Many email suppliers will request that you provide a second email account backup when this occurs.
An backup email can also be used to forward the most important information to it, such as conversations with customers, important articles, etc.
To organise various types of work
If you work with different projects or customers or even have two or more businesses, you may also need to separate one from another with multiple email accounts. For example, if you are an IT consultant and at the same time have an online shop, you would probably like to keep these two businesses and their respective email accounts discrete.
You will need to register different email accounts, or it will become difficult to manage all the emails and conversations and keep everything in order.
Focusing on one thing at a time
It is easier to prioritise when you have multiple email accounts — if you’re at work, only open the work email, and your attention won’t wander to updates and subscriptions. And when it’s your time off, close the work mail and focus on resting or personal matters.
To summarise, use multiple email accounts to contain your private matters, work, individual projects or marketing campaigns, foreseeable spam letters, blog, registrations, and a backup account.