Managing Email Overload

If you receive more than a dozen emails at work every day, you need a system for managing your email correspondence, otherwise you risk succumbing to the constant distraction and getting into a routine of inefficiency. Rule number one: the "ping" of new mail is not your keeper. Just because you hear your email alert, does not mean you have to drop everything to go read and respond. That is the problem. We seem unable to ignore new mail, and we let it take our focus off current tasks, and then it is very difficult to go back to what to you were doing. Reading and addressing the contents of a single email can take anywhere from 4 minutes to an hour or more. It can completely shift your course of action, and have a domino effect on the rest of your planned day.

The solution is to set aside some time to open emails, and then schedule the tasks which may result from the content. Allow yourself an hour every day for specifically dealing with your email inbox. Some will be immediately deleted for lack of relevance, others will be forwarded to the appropriate person, and yet others will contain instructions for a task that is yours to complete. Why would you bump your day's scheduled activities, which you have likely already started working on, in favor of addressing the contents of an email? Schedule it, and then delete it. It has now been prioritized and will be addressed at an appropriate time. Once you've scheduled or forwarded an email, delete it, and keep your inbox clear to limit distractions.

Rachel Landry - EzineArticles Expert Author