FIGURE C

ClearContext provides topic assignment capabilities and message filing automation for archiving email. Click picture for a larger image.

One of our survey respondents put it best when they wrote the following:

"The fact is that email is the conduit for virtually all business work product in the 21st Century. Learning to manage it appropriately becomes everyone's personal responsibility."

The suggestions above are a good start to help you manage your email better. Analyze your email usage and, using the points above as a guide, implement a method that improves your focus and response time. Stick with it for a few weeks, analyze the results, and adjust.

The bottom line
Get yourself an email management strategy that works for you, your work environment, and the people you communicate with.

Brad Meador is Vice President of Operations at ClearContext Corporation and can be reached at brad@clearcontext.com. For more information, see his bio at http://www.clearcontext.com/company.html.