Email is a great tool for any type of work. That while many other tools of communication have popped up in recent years, email has still been the go-to mode of communication for many professional settings. But let’s admit it, many of us can feel overwhelmed by how much time and attention it demands. One email gets done, and 3 others just show right up.

So just how can we master the tool before we become enslaved to it?

A simple Google search will yield to plenty of ways one can manage their inboxes that it’s almost hard to find the one that fits just right. Even harder is getting used to the new system of our choice because the nature of emails (the coming and going, and coming and going) is too unpredictable to create a habit.

Depending on the nature of your work, the type of personality you have, and many other factors, Connected Women has some suggestions. Here are some ways you can start managing your email to get more work done.

1. Create folders by Deadline instead of by Topic

Lumping together emails that are of the same topic may seem like the most sensible way to organize. But this can come to a disadvantage when you start losing sight of what needs immediate attention and what needs to be set aside for later. It gets even more complicated when one email falls into more than one topic categories.

This strategy is perfect for people who need to be on top of their deadlines. Simply categorizing your emails as:

• Today or Immediately
• Within the week
• Within the month
• To Note (emails that don’t need a response, but are good to keep for reference)

…can already give you a sense of what to prioritize and can keep you from feeling overwhelmed.

Spend the first few minutes of your day categorizing your inbox by placing each new email into one of these folders. This way, your inbox will come to zero, at least for a while. After this, get right on to the “Today” folder. Once this thins out, you can start with the “Within the week” folder and so on.

2. Set a time of day and a time limit to processing emails

If your work requires you to be away from your desk or email, one of the best things you can do is to set a time and a limit. Say, every start of the day, in the middle of the day, and at the end of the day.

Setting a time of day can get you into a routine instead of constantly worrying about your incoming email notifications, which takes time and focus away from the actual work you need to do.

Setting a time limit as well as a time of day can help you manage the amount of work you need to do without feeling fatigued or overworked. Whatever is untouched in your inbox within the time limit may either be work that can be set for later or tomorrow–lest you want it to burn you out.

30 minutes first thing at work, after your break, and before signing off is a good rule of thumb.

3. Use Filters to automatically sort your emails exactly the way you want to

If you’re the type to build a system to fit your very specific terms, first, congratulations! You are perhaps more organized than most of us out here. Filters are created to automatically sort your emails into folders depending on the conditions you apply to it.

For example, you created a filter for emails that contain the words “Project Opal” and that are from senders with the email “@whereiwork.com” and set it to automatically go to your “Project Opal Internal” folder. Then, the moment you open your email account, you know exactly where things are and how to prioritize them.

There are of course, more ways to manage your emails. Which one works for you? Share it with us in the comments!

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