I agree that email is an important communication tool but it’s also a huge time waster.  Some days all I can do is deal with the scores of emails that keep filling my Inbox, many of which are unnecessary.  My co-workers use email to ask me questions that they could find the answers to without bothering me, and it really drives me nuts when it’s a “quick question” that any moron would know can’t be answered with a quick response.  How can I stop letting email control my workday?

You’ve highlighted one of the greatest problems with email – what’s intended to be a time and money saving tool at work has, in many cases, become our biggest time waster.  It is estimated by those who specialize in email management that employees now spend more than 40% of their workday dealing with email – and most consider more than a third of that time wasted.  Use these tips to get your email problem under control.

Only send necessary emails.  If you want to receive fewer emails, it makes sense to send less yourself.  Model the behavior you expect from others, whether it be taking care with whom you send cc: messages, prudently using “Reply to All” or picking up the telephone to ask or answer a question.

Identify your biggest time wasters.  Review some of your recent messages to get a good handle on what and who are causing the most problems.  Don’t forget to scrutinize the emails you send as well as those you receive.

Communicate your needs and expectations.  Meet with the people who you think are sending you unnecessary or excessive emails to discuss how you could improve your communication.  Approach the conversation as a cooperative problem-solving session, rather than an attack on their way of communicating.

Create a routine for checking emails.  Many people make the mistake of letting emails become a constant interruption, either because they’re “addicted” to instant communication, or they’re bothered by the idea of unread messages sitting in their inbox.  Develop helpful email management practices such as turning off your email alerts and limiting the number times you check your email each day.  And don’t forget to let others know about your routine so they won’t have unrealistic expectations of you.

With some thought and effort, you can turn email from a huge time waster to the time saver it has the potential to be.