Master the minutes.Reclaim the hours.
Reduce Email 
SET SOME LIMITS
TRAIN yourself to check and respond to your e-mail only a limited number of times a day. Muting the "You've got mail" man or turning off the in-box chime will make this easier. If you've become hard-wired to reply immediately, you may have to start gradually -- perhaps checking your messages every 20 minutes or so. Unless your business is conducted almost exclusively via e-mail, aim for 3-5 e-mail sessions a day. By handling your e-mail in BLOCKS of time, you can get into a groove and plow through messages more quickly. A nice benefit is that some issues will move forward even without your instantaneous input on them.
GET RID OF THE UNNECESSARY
DELETE messages -- without reading them! -- based on the subject line and sender. Of course if it's from your boss or your best client, you should probably skim it, but there's no reason to read every get rich quick offer from an unknown return address. Use your email application's "junk email" function. This allows you to BLOCK unwanted email from senders you identify.
LIMIT THE MESSAGE GROUPS YOU BELONG TO
While these groups can be interesting and informative, the number of messages that are truly RELEVANT for you is probably fairly small. Reading each message can be an excellent form of procrastination but is rarely a good use of your time. Entering into a heated debate on a trivial matter can be like entering a black hole. You can also use a SEPARATE email account for discussion groups, ezines and other frequent messages that can be read at your convenience.
DELETE OLD MESSAGES
They take up computer storage SPACE and can have the same effect as actual clutter -- they can drain you of energy.
KEEP YOUR IN-BOX EMPTY
After you've read a message, if you must save it, I recommend MOVING it of your in box and into another folder. Even if the new messages are clearly marked, it can be overwhelming to see hundreds of messages in your in box. You can set up folders by project, by person, by action needed (e.g. Follow Up; Waiting for Response; Read on the Train), or any other way that you like. You can even use your e-mail program's FILTERS to do the sorting for you. If creating folders seems like too much work and it's easier for you to find the messages you need by using the sorting and searching features, you can put all your messages into one folder and keep them in box reserved for new messages. Organize your messages in a way that makes sense to you.
DON'T ADD TO OTHER PEOPLE'S EMAIL OVERLOAD
Keep in mind that other people are swamped with e-mail too. While it may only take a second for you to "cc" someone on a message or forward something to them, it will take them a lot LONGER to read it: think twice before you send an e-mail to someone. Similarly, keep your messages short. And don't send "mega" emails covering multiple topics. This can get confusing as forwards and replies zip back and forth between you and your colleagues.
DELEGATE TASKS
If a response to your outgoing message can easily be HANDLED by someone else within your organization, list that person as the reply-to address. (In Outlook, this function is under the Options menu when creating a message.)
STAY ON TOP OF RESPONSES
Follow up on incoming messages as SOON as you receive them. You've probably heard the office "rule" about handling each piece of paper only once; this is based on the same principle. Answer or delegate the email, then move on. If it is something that cannot be handled right away, move the email to your TASKS list and set a due date. This will prevent you from re-reading your email to figure out what tasks still need doing.
USE DESCRIPTIVE SUBJECT LINES
Your recipient will thank you, and any replies that you receive will be easily IDENTIFIABLE.
TACKLE IT DAILY
Set aside time each day to read and respond to your email. Turn off your computer's audible alert so you aren't DISTRACTED by incoming mail during the rest of the day.
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