Personally, I am a huge fan of email. It’s my favourite form of communication when you can’t be face-to-face. This, I know, is not a feeling shared amongst all of my colleagues, friends, or family. In fact, many I speak to would choose to banish email completely if it was possible.

One of the main complaints is how difficult it is to manage email effectively. On the one hand, you still need to get your actual work done, but on the other, efficient communication with those trying to get in touch is important. What is there to do?

I’ve come up with a list of tips and tricks to help you manage your email effectively.

1. Don’t send as much email. The easiest way to keep your inbox empty is by not sending email in the first place. Most emails in your inbox are either replies or parts of conversations. Each time you send an email, there’s a good chance the recipient might reply, and thus fill up your inbox that bit more. The best way to avoid this is to send as little email as possible, and only reply when necessary. Less outgoing mail = less incoming mail.
2. Turn off your email alerts. How often do you really need to respond to an email instantaneously? Work out what timeframe on average you’ll actually need to get back to somebody. If you can afford not to give a response for three hours, check your email every three hours and set aside thirty minutes for responses and follow-ups. I’m rather fond of the 10 mins/hr rule – dedicate ten minutes of checking for every hour working.
3. Colour-coded flagging. Establishing which emails are actionable is essential with email management. Once you have determined whether it is actionable, flag it and colour code it to help you organise those follow-ups better.
4. Set up rules. While those newsletters you get ten times a day might be useful, you don’t need them popping up every time they arrive. So set up a folder and an auto-forward rule. That way you can check those newsletters when you have the time, which we’re guessing isn’t now.
5. Get rid of all social media notifications. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have enough social media distractions anyway, without them appearing in your inbox all the time. Set up a rule/folder, auto-junk them, or forward them to a personal account, just whatever you do – get rid of them.

I am a huge fan of email, but one of the reasons is that I don’t let it overtake a manageable level. What are your best email management tips so that you don’t end up pulling your hair out?