Conquering the e-mail beast

I get so many e-mails, and I bet everyone reading this blog does too. Over time, the volume of e-mails has increased, so I had to develop ways of dealing with them. My methods are not high-tech and they might not be “best practices” but they seem to work for me – at least somewhat! Here are my three simple techniques: 1) Delete irrelevant emails immediately. These are from sources that you might want to read sometimes, just not all of them, all the time. For example, I get regular e-mails from the California Society of CPAs with daily informational tidbits. If the headings don't interest me, I delete the message. If something catches my eye, I will read it. 2) Delete junk e-mails — after unsubscribing. This might seem like a waste of time, but believe it or not, this really does cut down on the volume of unwanted e-mails. Just look for the fine print at the bottom of the e-mail and click on “unsubscribe.” 3) Move e-mails out of your inbox as soon as you've responded or taken the needed action. If I get an e-mail that I might need to refer to later, I move it to a self-created folder named “Save/Hold.” I know other people who have many self-created folders, such as “Travel”, “Clients,” “Employees,” etc. I know these strategies are not rocket science. But by following these rules, I cut down on junk, I see only e-mails that still need action in my inbox and I have a separate folder for items I need to keep (such as air confirmations, conferences agenda, etc.). It's a simple approach and it works for me. I'm always open to new ideas. What tricks do you have for managing your inbox? Sheryl Rowling is chief executive of Total Rebalance Expert and principal at Rowling & Associates. She considers herself a non-techie user of technology.