How to Use Gmail Rules to Automatically Organize Emails in Notion

Gmail's built-in filter system is powerful but underused. Combined with Quicktion's email forwarding, you can build a fully automated system that routes different types of emails to different Notion databases — without touching a single email manually.

How It Works

The system has three parts:

1. Gmail filters — Rules that match emails based on sender, subject, keywords, etc.
2. Quicktion destinations — Forwarding addresses linked to specific Notion databases
3. Notion databases — Where your emails end up, organized by type

For each type of email you want to capture, you create a Gmail filter that auto-forwards to the right Quicktion destination.

Setting Up Multiple Destinations

First, create a Quicktion destination for each Notion database you want to send emails to:

Each destination has its own unique address and property mapping configured for its database.

Creating Gmail Filters

Basic Filter Structure

1. In Gmail, click the search bar's dropdown arrow
2. Fill in your criteria
3. Click Create filter
4. Check Forward it to and select your Quicktion address
5. Optionally: Also apply label, Mark as read, Skip inbox

Receipt Filter

See our receipt and invoice tracking guide for a complete setup.

Criteria: from:(receipts@amazon.com OR noreply@stripe.com OR *@paypal.com)
Action: Forward to abc123@in.quicktion.io

Newsletter Filter

For a full walkthrough of setting up a newsletter archive, see our newsletter-to-Notion guide.

Criteria: from:(newsletter@morningbrew.com OR dan@tldrnewsletter.com)
Action: Forward to def456@in.quicktion.io

Client Email Filter

Criteria: from:(*@clientcompany.com)
Action: Forward to ghi789@in.quicktion.io

Support Email Filter

Criteria: to:(support@yourcompany.com)
Action: Forward to jkl012@in.quicktion.io

Advanced Filter Techniques

Combining Conditions

Gmail filters support AND logic (all fields must match) and OR logic (using the "OR" keyword within a field).

Emails from a client about invoices:

From: *@clientcompany.com
Has the words: invoice OR payment OR receipt

Emails from specific senders with attachments:

From: (sender1@example.com OR sender2@example.com)
Has attachment: checked

Negative Filters

Exclude certain emails from being forwarded:

From: *@clientcompany.com
Doesn't have: "out of office" OR "automatic reply" OR "unsubscribe"

Subject-Based Routing

Route emails to different databases based on subject:

Subject: [URGENT]
Action: Forward to urgent-tasks@in.quicktion.io

Subject: weekly report
Action: Forward to reports@in.quicktion.io

Managing Your Filters

Viewing All Filters

Go to Gmail Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses to see all your active filters. This is your "routing table" — review it periodically to make sure everything is working.

Editing Filters

Click edit next to any filter to change criteria or the forwarding address. This is useful when you create a new Quicktion destination and want to update the routing.

Testing Filters

After creating a filter, send yourself a test email that matches the criteria. Check that:

1. The email is forwarded (check your Quicktion email logs)
2. The email appears in the correct Notion database
3. Properties are mapped correctly

Common Patterns

The "Everything Else" Pattern

Create specific filters for high-priority email types, then a catch-all filter for remaining important emails:

1. Receipts filter → Receipts database
2. Newsletter filter → Reading List database
3. Client filter → CRM database
4. Everything else from important contacts → General Inbox database

The "Label and Forward" Pattern

Apply a Gmail label AND forward. This keeps your Gmail organized while also sending to Notion:

Action: Apply label "Receipts" AND Forward to abc123@in.quicktion.io

The "Archive and Forward" Pattern

Skip the inbox, forward to Notion, and optionally mark as read. This keeps your Gmail inbox clean while Notion captures everything:

Action: Skip Inbox, Mark as read, Forward to abc123@in.quicktion.io

Troubleshooting

Emails aren't being forwarded:

• Check that your filter criteria match (test with Gmail search first)
• Verify the forwarding address is correct
• Make sure the filter is active (not paused)

Wrong emails are being forwarded:

• Make your filter criteria more specific
• Add negative conditions to exclude false positives

Emails forwarded to wrong database:

• Check you're using the right Quicktion destination address for each filter

Get Started

Sign up for Quicktion, create destinations for each Notion database you want to populate, then set up Gmail filters to route emails automatically. Start with one or two filters and expand as you get comfortable with the system.