Consider the following statistics:

o Every day 8 billion emails are exchanged on the Internet.

o The average business user spends at least 2 hours a day dealing with email.

It’s no wonder almost everyone who uses email as their primary mode of communication struggles to cope with the volume of mail they receive every day. How can you control your inbox? How do you prioritize your emails? Is there such a thing as email management?

There are some simple “common sense” steps you can take to manage your out-of-control inbox. Read the following tips for successful email management.

o Always read and reply to the most recent messages in your inbox. Once a message arrives, read it and act on it. There are three actions you could take: delete, reply, or archive. Take the appropriate step immediately after opening the mail. Don’t put it off for later. Procrastination is one of the main causes of email overload.

o Take care of non-urgent messages during a lean period of the day, for example, just before lunch or before leaving work. Most incoming emails can be read once and then quickly deleted. Do an inbox cleanup at least once a month.

o Delete or archive messages once you are done with them. Delete those messages where you have taken action and are no longer needed. Archive messages you’ve replied to but still need for future reference. Effective email management requires that you resist the temptation to keep all your messages forever.

o Create email folders based on certain criteria. You can have folders for specific clients, projects, or subject areas. Once you receive an email, move it to the corresponding folder; It will make your recovery easier. But don’t go overboard and create too many folders within other folders; delving into them will turn out to be a major headache.

o Create templates for routine responses. This will save you a lot of time when giving standard responses such as “thank you for your feedback” or submitting corporate or product information.

o Automate tasks. If you always include contact information when you sign your emails, create a signature file and use it instead of typing it each time.

o Use the preview pane offered by most email programs. Just a glance at the preview pane will usually let you know what the subject of the email is and you can decide your action based on that.

o Unsubscribe from lists of groups that send you communications that you do not usually read. If there are groups you’d like to be a part of, but don’t want their messages cluttering your inbox, change your receiving option to the “summary” form; in this way, you will receive all your messages only once a day.

o Take anti-spam measures. Use filters configured by your email client to prevent spam. Don’t waste time replying or even reading spam, just delete them all.

o Spend some time learning the features of your email program, and then customize it to work the way you want. Most people typically only use 20-30% of a program’s capacity.

o Above all, follow the saying “do to others what you would like them to do to you”. Refrain from sending and forwarding jokes and other useless information to others. In turn, you can ask friends and co-workers to stop sending you things you don’t need.

o Use different email addresses and prioritize what you receive. Sign up for a free email account at yahoo/google/hotmail that you can use for group lists, registration to download software and utilities from the Internet, marketing promotions, chat rooms and message boards. Use your company email or a less publicized personal email id to communicate with business contacts, friends, family and associates.

While email is a great tool, its ease of use has made it susceptible to both misuse and overuse. That’s why you need to follow strict email management practices to make sure you don’t get caught out!