Email has become a part of our lives, an often simple way to communicate. If used effectively, email can be time and cost saving, it can also be an annoyance and a constant time waster. If you have experienced any of the latter, then it's time to take back the control and manage your inbox.

Here are 5 top tips to save time when dealing with your email:

1. Treat checking email as a task and schedule time into your daily work planner.  Set boundaries for how long you spend responding and filtering emails and how often you check for new mail in your inbox.

2. Turn off sound or voice notifications that interrupt your focus.

3. Set up email templates.  This feature will allow you to save your frequently used messages and find them easily.  Templates can be created in MS Outlook or similar programs.

4. Create folders and subfolders to hold your emails that you need for reference.  This will allow you to file new emails quickly rather that leaving them in the inbox.  Remember to regularly clear out your files just like you would your paper files.

5. Consider picking up the phone for tasks such as making appointments, this can save creating a string of back and forth emails.  Sending a confirmation by email however has the benefit of acting as a reminder and a written record.

Keep in mind that email is a tool to help in the process of carrying out your work; it is not your work.  Focus on what is most important; this will help you deal with email more effectively.

Handling the ever increasing volume of email will be covered in our upcoming workshops in Brisbane.