Coping with E-mail Overload

In the days of the Pony Express riders often died at the hands of wild Indians as they valiently attempted to deliver mail.  When I look at some of the junk that makes its way into my E-mail in-box I wonder where the wild Indians are when you need them.  The problem is that it's much easier to send E-mail than it ever was to send physical mail, and so it's much easier for people to blast out garage sale notices and other mundane trivia.  But even beyond the silly emails and the stream of spam, most corporate in-boxes are also infused with poorly crafted emails that simply fail to provide crisp information.  And, in many ways, that is the more insidious problem.

Is there any hope of remedying this situation?  If so, what action steps can we take right now to improve the state of our E-mail communications?

One of the best articles I have ever seen on this subject was written by Stever Robbins: Tips for Mastering E-Mail Overload.  One key idea is to 'use the subject line to summarize  the purpose of E-mail.'  I constantly marvel at how poorly most people use the subject line feature of their E-mail program.  The article is notable for setting out specific examples of the 'bad way' to send E-mail with a tabular comparison of the 'good way.'

Mr. Robbins also offers tips on how to read and receive email.  For example, he recommends checking E-mail only at certain defined times of the day:

We hate telemarketers during dinner, so why do we tolerate e-mail when we're trying to get something useful done? Turn off your e-mail "autocheck" and only check e-mail two or three times a day, by hand. Let people know that if they need to reach you instantly, e-mail isn't the way. When it's e-mail processing time, however, shut the office door, turn off the phone, and blast through the messages.

One of the most interesting suggestions is the idea of using a paper 'response list' to triage messages before doing follow up.  And if the idea of using paper to keep track of your E-mail isn't provocative enough for you, consider his advice that you ignore some of your emails completely:

Yes, ignore e-mail. If something's important, you'll hear about it again. Trust me. And people will gradually be trained to pick up the phone or drop by if they have something to say. After all, if it's not important enough for them to tear their gaze away from the hypnotic world of Microsoft Windows, it's certainly not important enough for you to take the time to read.

The bottom line is you are the only one who can manage the onslaught of E-mails you receive. Mr. Robbins' article provides some sage advice on how to accomplish that objective.  Read his article and then go out attack your in-box.  Your sanity depends on it.