The statistics on lost productivity due to “email dysfunction” are staggering! It may be impossible to control how other people use email, but you can control how you manage it. Here are 12 tips to get you started:

When You Send E-Mail

• Use the e-mail subject line to clearly describe the purpose of your e-mail. For example, “Proposed Itinerary for Chicago 10/20/10 – CONFIRM by 10/10/10.”
• Include only one subject per email message. Not only will this method simplify e-mail filing and retrieval, but it will eliminate the possibility of someone reacting to the first issue, and missing the second, or forgetting to go back and deal with it.
• Be judicious in your use of forwarding. When you do forward an e-mail, add an explanation of why you sent it.
• Avoid communicating other people’s e-mail addresses without their permission:
• When sending an e-mail to multiple addresses, put recipients in the “BCC” line. When forwarding an e-mail, delete the addresses automatically included in the body of the forwarded e-mail.

Managing the E-Mail You Receive

• Practice “The Art of Wastebasketry®.” Ask yourself, “What is the worst possible thing that would happen if I didn’t have this e-mail?” If you can live with your answer, hit “Delete.”
• Create folders to file the e-mail you want to keep to read later. (You probably won’t, but it gives you an option.) Organize e-mails by topic, project and/or individual names.
• If the subject line of the e-mail you receive doesn’t accurately describe the contents, change the subject line before you move it to a folder.
• Your “In Box” is not a filing cabinet, a calendar, an address book, or a bookmark list. Although you have no control over the number of e-mails you get, you do have total control over the number you leave in your “In Box.”

Invest in Yourself and Your Future

• Click on “Help” in the tool bar at the top of your e-mail program to find a searchable index that will answer dozens of questions about your e-mail program.
• Attend a class or hire a consultant to address the specific e-mail program you use.

The Most Important Tip of All

• Don’t let your e-mail control you. Before you leave work each day, identify the most important thing to accomplish the next day. Then do it – BEFORE you start reading e-mail!

About the Author

Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger’s Taming the Paper Tiger series and founder of Productive Environment Institute, a company committed to helping you accomplish your work and enjoy your life. For more information on improving your productivity, visit www.ProductiveEnvironment.com