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It is impossible to provide modern productivity suggestions without including a way to manage email.  This form of communication has done so much for us in shrinking the world.  On the other hand, it is also a substantial use of our time.  There are several important conversations we want to track.  However, there is also an endless stream of spam.  Here are some suggestions to help you with this modern struggle.

Manage Email By Checking Less

One of the most overlooked ways to reduce the time spent on email is to reduce how often you check.  Many of the mail clients are configured by default to check every minute or so for our latest email.  This approach makes it hard to maintain any form of focus.  Even if the email itself is pointless and we merely glance at it, we still stop to check that notification.  Pavlov's dog would be proud of us.  Set the mail server check on your devices to hourly or less.  You will find yourself more productive almost immediately.

There is a common misconception that we need to check and respond to an email immediately.  That is what a phone call (or even a text) is for.  We should not expect a near-instant response to an email, nor should we provide one.  When we rush to respond to an email, we are more likely to make mistakes, and we tend to miss out on the strengths of that mode of communication.

Use Filters or Rules

Spam filters are commonly used to reduce email in our inbox.  However, that is just the first step.  Most mail clients include rules and filters to apply to the mail that gets to that inbox.  These tools can sort, forward, reply, and even delete messages.  This approach is not necessarily for beginners.  However, most of the rule creation tools are pretty easy to understand.  Thus, you can start simple and grow up to complex rules and actions over time.  I took this path and grew to hundreds of rules and hours of saved time over a period of a few years.

Store, Save, and Search

The most intimidating part of a desire to manage email is a huge inbox.  We can easily decide there are so many messages in there it is a lost cause to manage them.  Sometimes this even leads to people refusing to read a large number of their emails.  This refusal can also extend to potentially critical messages.  When you have a way to categorize and store emails quickly, this situation can be averted.  Instead of a scarily full inbox, you can manage smaller groups of messages at a proper time.

For example, you might push notes about your kid's sports or school to a "bucket" for reading at night.  You might also find it useful to throw all of those funny emails from your crazy Aunt to a bucket for reading when you need a laugh.  The end goal is to manage email by reading messages on your schedule rather than as they come in.  This step alone will be significant in your attempt to tame this electronic beast.

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