This is one area where ClearContext can help. On setup, Inbox Manager runs through a process to rank your contacts by email volume. As new email is received, messages are scored using sender, directness of the email, message priority, and your participation in the email conversation to rank and color code email by priority.

As shown in Figure A, email sent directly to you from important senders appear at the top of the Inbox in red and blue while messages from unknown senders appear at the bottom in grey.

FIGURE A

A prioritized inbox allows for quick scanning of important messages. Click picture for a larger image.

Tip #3. Take action on email as you process it.
The popularity of the Getting Things Done methodology in the tech community is a strong indicator that email users want to get a handle on their information flow.

David Allen's advice is sound: as you process your inbox, force yourself to either answer the email immediately or flag it (via flags, tasks, or your calendar) to remind you to address it when you have more time. Don't let feelings of guilt overwhelm you as you continually review stale messages in your inbox.

Tip #4. Read the entire thread before responding.
How many times have you answered an email only to find that it was already answered by someone else? This is a waste of your and your recipient's time.

Make sure that you review all messages in a message thread prior to answering an email. In Outlook, View By Conversation will group all related messages together. Our product takes this one step further -- our default views automatically group email threads together in prioritized order within the inbox.

Tip #5. Don't become a slave to email.
How effective would you be at work if someone were behind you shouting "look at me!" every few minutes? This is, in effect, what Outlook's default notification settings do when you receive a message.

Turn off these notification options. Select Options > E-Mail Options... > Advanced E-mail Options.. from the Tools menu, as shown in Figure B, and get into email on your own terms rather than every time a message comes in.

I recommend setting aside time each day for email rather than constantly checking your inbox. This will allow you to focus better on the tasks at hand.

FIGURE B

Turn off new message notifications in Outlook's Advanced Email Options dialog. Click picture for a larger image.

Tip #6. Set up a archiving/storage system that works for you.
Do you waste a lot of time looking for email? Don't. Set up a filing/archiving system that works for you and augment Outlook with a good desktop search program. Don't make your folder list so granular that it is difficult to find what you need. Create a small, broad list of folders (maybe by project or business unit) and let a search program like Lookout/MSN Desktop Search, X1, Copernic, or Google do the work of finding the message for you.

ClearContext applies more automation to this point, allowing you to assign topics to email conversations and file inbox messages, threads, or topics at the click of a button, as shown in Figure C. Future messages within a thread are automatically tagged with your topic and, if the option is selected, all sent mail with topics assigned is automatically saved in the associated topic folder.