Folder structure is important to help you find the things you need quickly.
Dig Deeper: The Urge to Purge: When to Dump Data Managing Your E-mail Inbox: File Messages You Need to Keep The key to filing e-mail is creating broad categories, Duncan explains. Select the message (if it's closed), hold down shift and then hit delete. If you're sure you never want to see the message again (as in spam), permanently delete it. Turn off the pesky warning that asks, 'Are you sure you want to delete this?' To do so, from the inbox, click Tools, Options, Advanced Options, and unclick the box that says: "Warn before permanently deleting items." "When I hit delete, I want it gone and don't want to give permission," says Duncan. Here are two tips for deleting messages in Outlook specifically. "When I sit down to deal with messages in my inbox, I make decisions right then on what to do with each one." Ask yourself: Do I really need to save this message? And can I access the information somewhere else? "If it has no value and you'll never look at it or use it, then delete it," says Duncan. "I delete more than 50 percent of what comes into my inbox," says Duncan. Dig Deeper: New Tactics in the War on Spam Managing Your E-mail Inbox: Delete, Delete, and Delete Once you have spam out the way, you'll have to decide which messages to keep and which to delete. If after all this you're still getting a lot of spam (which is not likely), try changing your company's e-mail addresses, and start over. Turn up the security volume in your e-mail software."It works in the background and doesn't challenge valuable people who want to reach me," says Duncan. Invest in proven technology such as Cloudmark Desktop. "You're letting them know that yours is a legitimate e-mail address." Only use an out-of-office message when you are away for very long stretches of time, not for every day off you take to go to the dentist. "You're auto responding to the spammers," say Duncan. Out of office replies are common but contribute in a real way to e-mail overload. "Then sign up for Google Alerts so you'll be notified if they show up anywhere later," she adds. Google all of your e-mail addresses to see where they show up, and then remove them, says Duncan. Instead, spell out the "at" when you post your contact information. Spambots scour the Internet (they even look at online PDFs) looking for the symbol and all that comes with it. "There is no valid reason for putting your live, clickable e-mail address on the Web," insists Duncan. Keep your clickable e-mail address off the Web.Also, make sure your Web host meets the same requirements. Your ISP should be using the best technologies to block spam on the server side, Duncan says. Use a reliable Internet service provider.
If you are getting an inbox full of spam, take these steps to end it. Dig Deeper: To Save or Not to Save: E-mail Storage Managing Your E-mail Inbox: Deal With Spam One way to conquer e-mail overload is to eliminate spam and other unwanted messages. Establish a routine that works for you as well as your staff. "Get into a meeting with your inbox and deal with each message as you open it," says Duncan. Clean out all that mess and ask yourself, How should I organize my inbox in a useful way?" Duncan suggests setting aside a time during the day when you only handle e-mail. "Your inbox is not storage, it's not your calendar, it's not your to-do list, and it's not your mind tickler. "Don't keep thousands of messages in your inbox," Duncan says.
But that "I'll deal with this later" attitude is probably the reason you have e-mail overload. When you get an e-mail that you don't immediately know what to do with, it's easy to close it, and move on to the next one.