Don’t Delete…Unsubscribe – If your inbox looks anything like mine, you likely have an ever-growing pile of e-newsletters and marketing messages from companies you’ve done business with in the past – you may not even remember opting into half of them. The emails technically aren’t spam but that does not make them any less annoying or time-consuming. While it’s easy to just hit delete, for a more permanent solution, scroll to the bottom and click the “unsubscribe” link. It literally takes just seconds and you’ll be keeping them out of your inbox for good.

Take Action – One of the most ineffective things you can do when it comes to email is reading the same message over and over again. When you receive a message, take action then and there: delete the message, delegate it to someone else, archive it, or defer it to a folder where you can take care of it later. Ideally, you’d like your inbox empty at least every few days.

Designate Email Time – We often get caught up in the fallacy that you have to respond to every single email you receive. To avoid becoming a slave to your email and keep your time productive and efficient, designate certain times of the day specifically to respond to emails (e.g. first thing in the morning or right before you head off to lunch). If an email is going to take you more than a few minutes to respond to, schedule a time during your day for you to take care of it when you have more time.

Always Backup – Make sure you are performing email backup regularly, especially on emails with important information and attachments. Without adequate backup, you could lose crucial business data if your computer were ever stolen, damaged, or destroyed.