For tips where some software configuration is necessary, you'll find icons for Lehigh's two most commonly used email clients. Click on the one you use for the instructions for that tip.

Icon Legend
Thunderbird, v1.5	Mozilla Suite Email, v1.7

1.  Don't need it? Delete it! If you're a packrat, you're in trouble. One of the biggest email problems users face is the sheer volume of messages they receive every day and the tendency to keep everything. Some tricks:  Pick off the easy ones first. If you have a quick answer, send it, then delete the message. And not just from the Inbox – get rid of it in Trash, too. Stop re-reading the same message. Be realistic. If you know deep down you'll never reply to the message, delete it and move on.

2.  Set aside time to review email.   Establish a routine for checking email. It may be that you block off time at the start of the day, again after lunch and then before you leave the office.  Don't allow yourself to be interrupted during this time. Deal with messages immediately: Delete it, forward it, schedule it, respond to it, or file it. Consider closing your email program outside of these scheduled times so you won't be compelled to check for new messages constantly.

3.  Setup a filtering system. If you belong to a listserv or receive daily messages from the same place (such as bulletins or announcements), filter them out of the Inbox and into another folder.  Then when you have time, go to that folder and read them at once.  This will keep your focus on one topic and minimize the time it takes to deal with them.

4.  Setup a file folder system.   Many of us keep messages for reference purposes only. Build a file folder system that categorizes these reference messages for quick access later.  The important thing is to get them out of your Inbox.

5.  Label messages.  Use color-coded labels to categorize messages such as Important or To Do.  Colored messages will stand out and direct your attention where it's most needed.

6.  Get rid of spam.   Though LTS recently implemented changes that reduced the amount of spam that reaches your Inbox by 70%, you can deal with the rest on your own by creating a spam filter.  Again, moving messages automatically to another folder allows you to focus on dealing with these messages all at once.  Tip: Never respond to a spam message, asking to be removed from the list. This only serves to validate that you have an active email account and spammers will only send you more!

7.  Searching for messages. If you have trouble locating an old email message by scrolling through long lists of messages, use the Search Messages feature.

8.  Save attachments, delete the email.  The cause of most quota overages is not because a user has thousands of messages piled up.  It's because they are hanging on to a handful of messages containing very large attachments. Consider saving attachments to a network, local or external drive, then delete the email itself. To quickly find large messages, click the Size heading to sort by size.

9.  Use templates for routine replies.   If you find yourself retyping the same sorts of messages in response to routine requests, create a message and save it as a template. Then when you need to reply with that message, double-click the template message, address it and edit accordingly, and send it out.  The template message remains behind in the Templates folder for the next time you need it.

10. Limit unnecessary responses. You don't have to respond to every message, especially just to say "Thanks" or "OK." The more email you generate, the more someone else has to act on it.

How do you manage your email? What techniques work well for you?  Send your ideas to me at kmm3@lehigh.edu and I'll compile them for a future article.