There was a time when I would wait anxiously for my email client to download my emails every few minutes and add to the list of unread emails in my inbox. With a bit of self analysis, i realized that not only did it cause me un-necessary stress, I got little else done in those moments (and after them) when I would wait for the email to download and then start replying them right away. A few tips from my personal experiences are likely to help you get the better of the EMAIL MONSTER!

1) Set a time to check your email. No one is expecting you to answer an email as soon as you get it. I now check my emails three times a day (that accordingly to some people is also a bit much) but when i check email, i ensure that I am dedicated to responding to them as well. Not only am I able to do more during work hours, the quality of my email responses are lot better than before.

2) Organize. And then organize some more. With such wonderful tools like Windows Mail, and Microsoft Outlook available to you, make it a habit to organize your emails into proper boxes with the right message rules. Not only does this reduce the clutter in your inbox, it lets you get to the important emails faster.

3) Avoid creating email chains. His really has to do with he style of answering emails but avoid creating chains wherever possible. You can also use the phone to sort out simple issues rather than create a flurry of emails which go back and forth. Also try and delegate email tasks to those who are directly responsible for the work rather than micro-manage on email.

4) Long emails are not only tedious to read, they are largely ineffective. In order to get compact and to –the –point responses to your emails, you need to write smaller emails yourself. Remember, emails are not good tools to communicate emotion so keep it simple!

5) Use a spam controller. I am a person who does not believe in overdosing on software, but with spam overtaking mailboxes across the world, it has become essential for regular email users to use a spam controlling tool. You can download from the various tools available online and use the one which suits you best. Junk email costs businesses billions of dollars every year so do remember it is taking away some of your precious time as well.

6) Nothing is more productive than going back to an inbox with no un-read emails. It is like entering a clean room, which you like to keep clean on an ongoing basis. Avoid leaving un-read emails in the inbox as that is going to reduce your productivity and usually keep you behind with your responses.

7) Archive if not delete. Non-critical emails should be sent off to the Deleted Items as soon as you are done with them and you might like to create an archive of important emails for record keeping. If you are checking emails on both a handheld as well as a desktop, then don’t think twice before deleting emails on the handheld…they are only likely to eat up the limited space on the hard disk.

I guess I can go on and on about increasing your productivity and not being a slave to email..try the tips I have mentioned above and I am sure you will find yourself on the path of email-nirvana!