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

---

Why You Need Run Survey

Do you have a list of e-mail addresses of your... Read More

Get Viral

Hey, using eBooks, eReports and eCourses is a fantastic way... 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

Autoresponders - One Simple Trick That Will Improve Your Results

Autoresponders, or responders, are simply programs that allow you to... Read More

7 Great Email Habits for the Beginning Internet Entrepreneur

If you are just starting out as an Internet entrepreneur... Read More

Lesson #7: Three Extra Tricks That Can Boost Your Bottom-Line!

Let's recap what you've learned so far...In the first lesson,... Read More

Use Autoresponders, to Build Relationships In Your Affiliate Marketing

It's true that "content is king," but equally important to... Read More

Does Punctuation Really Matter in Email?

So much depends on choosing the correct mark of punctuation... Read More

Is Your Autoresponder Hungry?

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

Using A Simple Idea to Target Your Audience

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

Ten Tips to Building Your Opt-in List.

To build and maintain your opt-in list requires constant attention.As... Read More

Personal vs Professional Life Email - Dont Squander Your First Internet Impression

My first email address was with compuserve.com back when you... Read More

What Is An Open Rate

Good thing in emarketing business today is that many people... Read More

How to Structure Your Follow-Up Sequence for Maximum Profit

Before I do this, let me describe how autoresponders work.... Read More

Improve Newsletter Delivery with an Autoresponder Service

Another powerful reason for making the switch from using the... Read More

The #1 Thing You Must Have Before Even Thinking About Building An Opt In Email List

It's not a website.It's a smart autoresponder and mailing list... Read More

Email Marketing 101 - What You Must Know Before Starting an Email Marketing Campaign

Before you start an e-mail marketing campaign it is important... Read More

Protect Yourself from Being Accused of Sending SPAM

Email is a vital part of doing business online, but... Read More

Do You Build Or Buy? (Tips On Leadgeneration)

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

3 Important Tips to Write Money-Making Autoresponder Messages

Sending autoresponder messages is one of the most powerful email... Read More

The Power of a Referral Script

The key to the success of e-commerce is in the... 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

My Emails Are Not Being Delivered. Black Lists and White Lists Explained.

Over 40% of all emails within your marketing campaign are... Read More

What Is Wrong With Email Marketing?

If you are active on the web promoting your products,... Read More

The Ultimate Self-Promotion Tool Is Right at Your Fingertips: An E-mail Newsletter

If you're looking for low-cost ways to promote your business... Read More

Increasing Email Deliverability

Most email marketers know that it is important spam-check email... Read More

Five of the Most Powerful Elements In Opt-in Marketing

Lack of trust is the biggest problem marketers have on... Read More

Why Does Your Business Need An Autoresponder?

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

What Good Is An AutoResponder?

A term that confuses just about everyone is "autoresponder". When... Read More

Proven Techniques For Building A Responsive List

We've all heard those who have Internet business-success stories proclaim,... Read More

Save Time By Creating Email Signature Templates

If you're like me, there are certain types of email... Read More

An Unexploited Market: Striking Gold Without Searching for El Dorado

Companies have been focused on using the Internet to market... Read More

The Most Simple Way to Mask Your Email-address

We all know that spammers are looking for your email-address.... Read More