I use Gmail for my personal email, but there are some basic features that it’s missing out of the box. Gmail Labs are basically like browser extensions but for your Inbox. There are a lot of different features that can improve your productivity. These are my three favorites:
Canned Responses by Chad P
This Lab works almost exactly like Microsoft Outlook’s “My Templates,” where you can save snippets of text (with or without formatting) and easily paste them into your draft. You can also edit/delete them without leaving the page!
Google Calendar gadget by Ben K and Garry B
This one simply adds your Google Calendar to the left sidebar of your email. It makes scheduling meetings much quicker and also has a link to the full view of the calendar.
Unread message icon by Manu C
The unread message icon is extremely helpful. It shows you exactly how many unread messages you have – within the browser tab.
If you don’t already have these turned on, check them out!