Use Rules to Manage E-mail

Rules let you manage incoming e-mail by pre-sorting certain e-mails and sending them to folders you have specified. Every e-mail program has the ability to set rules although it might be called something different.

When you set a rule, you:

• Identify the word or words you want the e-mail program to look for. For example, you could set a rule for your manager’s name or the name of a project or client.
• Specify where you want the word(s) to appear. It could be the To, CC, BCC, subject line, or anywhere else in the e-mail.
• Set up a new folder labeled with these same word(s).
• Direct your e-mail program to send all e-mails with these word(s) to that folder. When you open your inbox, you can go directly to these folders and by-pass e-mails in the main inbox.

Rules will help you manage e-mail faster and easier and make you more positively productive.

Need more help with e-mail? Are you not getting the result you need? Check out my new Writing and Managing E-mail class.