4 Tips On Taming Your Email

I remember when I was first introduced to email. I was working in a big corporation at the time. I thought it was the neatest thing since sliced bread. I hit a button and the message is sent instantaneously. What could be better? Since then, my feelings towards email are somewhat modified. I still think the technology is great, but I have witnessed too many people getting stressed out by the sheer volume of communications via this medium to know that for some it can sometimes be a curse instead of a blessing. Since none of us is expecting a reduction in the volume of email we will receive, you may find the following tips helpful in helping gain control over your email.

Keep in mind that this article is designed to help you manage your emails related to work. If you do not have separate email accounts for your work and personal life, my very first suggestion is to get that set up right now. There are numerous options for free email accounts. Do yourself a favor and set one up for your personal activities, like shopping on-line, or subscribing to ezines for your outside interests. That way, you won't waste precious time weeding through the latest sales offers from Amazon while you are trying to concentrate on work.

Tip #1 ? Handle each message once if at all possible

Treat the email like a piece of paper. If it is short enough for you to read on the screen, decide what action you need to take to "handle" it. If it was an information only message, then either file it or delete it afterwards. Do not just leave it in your in-box for later because it will take you more time to read it again and figure out what to do.

Unfortunately, a good percentage of the messages I used to get were multi-pages long with multiple attachments. In those cases, I found it very difficult to read the contents on the screen. My suggestion is to print out the entire content and quickly decide if you want to deal with it now or later.

Tip #2 ? Don't be stingy with folders

In order to file a message you want to keep, you have to have a destination for it. The only reason why you want to file something is if you think you want to access the information again. So, the easier it is for you to find it, the more efficient you will be. Create as many folders and sub-folders as you need in order to expedite your search for the information in the future. It will take way less time to find a particular message in a folder with 30 items versus 300 items.

Tip #3 ? Don't be an email pack-rat

Are you someone who saves every message just in case you will need it later? If you are, break yourself of that habit right now! Unless you have to retain documents for compliance reasons, the "just in case" scenario does not happen often enough to warrant the clutter you are creating for yourself. When you surround yourself with clutter, it drains energy from you, and clutters your mind. So, be very selective about what you need to keep. And I will bet you money that if you really needed something that you didn't keep, you can find another copy (usually from the originator) pretty easily.

Tip #4 ? Leave ONLY messages that you need to act on in your "Inbox"

Having an Inbox with hundreds of messages will overwhelm anyone. And being in overwhelm is not going to help your productivity or your mind-set. So, if you still have to read that 10 page email you received, leave it in your Inbox until you have read it and know what you have to do. But if you've already read that concise one page message from your boss and answered her question, then either delete it, or move it to a subject folder.

When I was in the corporate world, I had an objective of keeping my Inbox to fewer than 30 items because I know that I would start to feel out-of-control when there are too many items in there. And I would feel very proud of myself when I get the list to 15 or fewer because that meant that I was very close to getting "caught up".

There you have it - these are the top 4 things I do to keep my email under control. If you found this information useful and would like more tips on this subject, let me know (via email, I suppose) and I'll let you in on more of my secrets in a follow-up article.

© 2004 Inez O. Ng

Leaderhip coach Inez Ng helps busy professional and entrepreneurs get better results quickly. Learn more about coaching with her at http://www.realizationsunltd.com Want to know more about taming your email? Check out her ebook at http://www.easyemailstrategies.com

---

Is the IronPort Whitelist Actually An Extortion Tactic?

It appears that Mr. Gates' prophetic prediction that charging marketers... Read More

An E-mail Promotion Internet Marketing Strategy Works

E-mail promotion Internet marketing can help your home-based business expand... Read More

Paradigm Shift for the New World

In the business world, the primary focus is on selling... Read More

8 Quick, Hot Reasons You Should Offer an E-mail Course Today

1. E-mail courses are generally quick and easy to create.... Read More

Guidelines For A New Sending Paradigm - Part 1 of 5 - Treat Email as a True Risk and Cost Center

Sustainable email sending programs in an inherently hostile environment now... Read More

Attract New Subscribers With Magnetic Ads

One of the most effective methods of advertising your e-zine... Read More

Are Opt-in Email Lists Still Valuable in this SPAM Age?

One of the things that the introduction of blogs has... Read More

How to Start Your Own Mailing List

I remember reading time and time again when I first... Read More

A Guide To Automated Email Marketing

You've probably heard the expression, 'the money isin the list'.... Read More

Do You Build Or Buy? (Tips On Leadgeneration)

Every marketer needs leads, they are the lifeblood of your... Read More

The Game Is Changing, Are You?

It's happening. Again.The Internet marketing 'game' is rapidly changing... again.Email... Read More

7 Wise Ways to Collect Email Addresses and Build Your Mailing List

=> Wise Way #1 - OFFER A FREEBIEYou have to... Read More

Email Marketing - The End Is Nigh!

Consider if you will the resources, the time and the... Read More

Why Does Your Business Need An Autoresponder?

Suppose you have a website with 500 visitors a day,... Read More

11 Extraordinary Ways To Expand Your Subscriber List

Here are 11 ways to expand your subscriber list: 1.... Read More

Email Communication

Gartner estimates that half of the 5.5 trillion emails sent... Read More

Is Your Autoresponder Truly Promoting Your Company?

Getting other people to promote your web site is one... Read More

Why Are People Cheesed Off With the Internet?

Having been connected to the "net" now for about eight... Read More

12 Tips For Writing Winning E-mail

Learning to write more effective e-mail is a valuable skill... Read More

Email Autoreponder ? How to Put your Business on Autopilot

Answering emails can take up a significant portion of the... Read More

Guideline to Hiring an Email Marketing Company

A common practice in today's e-commerce environment is to use... Read More

Make All Your Mailing Lists Double Opt-In

Accusations of spam can be so harmful to your business... Read More

Turn Your Old Articles Into Profitable E-mail Courses

If you've written numerous articles, you can use them to... Read More

10 Terrific Ways To Enlarge Your Subscriber Base

1. Create a unique selling proposition (USP).Developing a USP for... Read More

10 Reasons to Outsouce Your Next Email Marketing Campaign

So, why would you want to send your campaigns out... Read More

Viral Marketing with Your Signature File

Computer viruses are usually a bad thing. They can compromise... Read More

Using A Simple Idea to Target Your Audience

A wonderfully easy and free concept that many people seem... Read More

Autoresponders An Important Part Of Internet Marketing?

Setting up and using email autoresponders on your site is... Read More

Why Use Permission-Based Email Marketing?

The goal of all marketing is to attract interest in,... Read More

Great Response by Auto Responder

1. Collect leads with your autoresponder. You will get an... Read More

Viral Marketing Tips: Greeting Cards

When we speak about viral marketing, we are not talking... Read More

Email Marketing - Building A Mail List

Millions of people use their computer everyday as a form... Read More

Is Your Autoresponder Hungry?

Do you know how to feed it, so that it... Read More