Multiple email addresses and portfolio careers

I've just had a look at the ludicrous number of email accounts I manage from my Gmail account. I have no fewer that eight email addresses which seems ridiculous but is a necessary evil when you've got a portfolio career.

I have an 'ac.uk' email address for my university teaching, three 'co.uk' ones relating to my digital media agency, my blog and one that I used to use for freelancing. I also have an 'org.uk' one for a network I co-founded,  one for a distance learning provider I am a course author and tutor at, one for my voluntary role as a branch organiser for Guide Dogs and one plain old personal Gmail account.

Thank goodness for Gmail's 'send mail as' function. I think I might go mad trying to manage all of these accounts if I couldn't access them all from anywhere, all in one inbox. It does slightly make me wish we were all born with barcodes and unique domain names and email addresses that we use for our whole lives in all circumstances. I remember being a single-track employee with just a work email and a personal email - ahh, what a simpler time it was! However, having multiple email addresses can be surprisingly manageable and useful. I've had several clients who have set me up with an email address using their domain name. It enabled me to act as an ambassador for them and be more than a freelancer so multiple email accounts undoubtedly serve a purpose.

If Gmail's 'send mail as' function sounds like it might be useful for you, follow these steps:

1) Sign in to your Gmail account

2) Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner

3) Click Gmail settings

4) Click the Accounts and Import tab

5) Under Send mail as, select 'Add another email address' and enter details of alternate email address

6) Choose how your mail will be sent (via Gmail's servers is easier to set up)