Any successful online business owner will tell you the majority of time they spend online is in viewing and answering email. Many web entrepreneurs cannot escape the vast quantities of email messages they receive daily. That's the nature of the business. Ideally all email responses should be made within a 24-48 hour period. The success of any business online depends on it.
Let me offer some time management tips for handling that busy inbox.
1. Tip - Block Senders
This is a list with which you will want to become very familiar. I'm sure you've seen it before. You open your inbox and staring at you are subject lines like "get a larger one today" or "this company wants to hire you" or "get long life with this." What I'm talking about is Spam. Everyone gets it, and everyone wants to get rid of it. Quickly and easily remove it by copying and pasting the sender's email address into your provider's "blocked sender" tab located usually somewhere on your inbox page. Once you've done this step, no email from that sender will arrive in your inbox again.
If you would really like to be proactive with getting rid of Spam, you can use a filter program that removes spam before it hits your inbox.
Editor's Recommendation: Spam Bully in particular works great.
2. Tip - Folders
These are a necessity for organizing emails and finding them. Create folders and title them with different names or items you work with regularly such as names of people you email, ezine titles, receipts, business mail, etc. You can locate information easily when it is organized into folders.
3. Tip - Empty Your Folders
To prevent your email program from stalling or slowing down, be sure to delete old messages frequently. Don't forget to delete old messages in both the sent item and deleted item categories.
4. Tip - Message Filters
Set up your inbox with appropriate rules and message filters that direct your email program to organize your email into specific folders as it is delivered, reply to emails and more. You can also use the auto-responder feature, which allows you to prepare an email reply that is sent out when an email arrives in your inbox.
5. Tip - Software
You may upgrade your existing MS Outlook program by adding on the Email Sorter Wizard. It expands and enhances all the features of your program.
6. Tip - Take Action
If you don't stay vigilant, you will soon be inundated with email messages. When you receive emails, make sure you take action at that moment. Either answer, delete or save it to a folder. If you always address each email as it comes in, you will never have to worry about email overload in your inbox.
7. Tip - Priority Messages
If you have an important message to send or need a quick reply, you can notify your reader by setting the message's priority to high. This action marks your email with a red flag that tells the recipient there is an important message inside. Don't make this a habit or else your mail recipients may get upset. Please only use when vitally necessary.
8. Tip - Custom Toolbars
You can easily customize your email program by choosing your favorite features and adding them to your toolbars. Doing so will allow you to change your layout and ultimately the way your email interface looks.
9. Tip - Print Emails
Always print emails that you don't have time to read. I get the most out of my ezine subscriptions by printing and then taking with me to read while waiting in line, at lunch or any other time I have extra free time.
10. Tip - Return Receipts
Imagine being able to get a receipt back when you send email. Select this great option, and you will receive a return receipt when the person you emailed has read your message. Although the receiver can always opt out of allowing a return receipt, most people will allow the program to reply to your inbox.
Follow these ten guidelines for managing emails, and you will see that you have more free time and a lot less clutter in your inbox. Remember to keep control over your inbox.
