Our newsletter theme this month is productivity. This is near and dear to my heart being a process oriented person. And overly-organized to boot. I don't think it's possible to be too organized, but I do think it's possible to be non-productive.
Just because I have my ducks in a row, and my piles organized doesn't mean I do not have moments of non-productivity. Emails are one place where I find myself the least productive.
Since I get so much email, so much in fact that good emails get buried, I have found a few techniques to help manage the email chaos.
First off, turn off beeps or notifications that emails have come in. Trust me, you'll know if you have emails but you don't have to drop what you are doing to go read them immediately.
Pick a time of day where you will have the least disruptions and read/answer emails at that time. Make it a habit and put it on your calendar. And don't stray from that time. Nope - I see you reaching for the inbox button.
Use rules to move non-important emails into folders. Then, make a point once a week to go read them. If you find you are not reading them at all, and they are from a forum, remove yourself from the forum. You obviously don't care to read them anymore anyway.
Email is a necessary evil. In fact, it can bring in new revenue, especially as part of a workflow campaign using our SAM product.
However don't let emails rule your life. Take the time to make your inbasket small, current, and relevant. Delete minutia. Clean up the trash file. You'll be happier in the long run.