Your e-mail program may also have filters that you can set up to redirect e-mails with certain key words in subject line or text body. For example, if you get a lot of junk e-mail regarding contests, you could choose to flag any incoming e-mail with word ?win? in its subject line. Once software sees key word, it automatically directs that e-mail into trash and you never even see it in your inbox.

A technique you can use to reduce download wait time on your e-mails is to set your preferences within your e-mail client to only download messages that are a certain size or smaller. I use a maximum setting of 15K (15,000 bytes), which means I don?t automatically get any attachments unless I choose to retrieve them from server. Setting your preferences this way will allow you to see first few lines of a message, but will leave bulk of it on server for you to retrieve, but only if you elect to. This little trick also keeps many viruses from landing on your computer because you never download attachments to your machine.

Once you?ve chosen which e-mails to save, create various folders within e-mail program to sort and track messages. If you have only one inbox and it?s holding every e-mail from past six months, you?re in ?communication chaos? and things are slipping through cracks. When setting up sorting folders, choose carefully what you name folders, so that you remember what each one means. You can create folders with project names, client names, sender?s names, or action needed to be taken.

For example, create a folder called ?to be answered? for those e-mails that require a definitive reply from you. There are many categories by which to sort your e-mails, and only you know which categories and labels will be most relevant and effective for you in your business.

If you try steps outlined here, you can take control of your e-mail overwhelm. Once you set up a framework for organizing your e-mails, you?ll be amazed at how quickly you can find what you need and more importantly, take overwhelm factor out of your electronic communication.

Monica Ricci has been an organizing specialist since 1999, and her motivational presentations teach effective organizing and simplifying techniques for home and work. She also offers free email tips and ideas on how to make life simpler and more organized. Her topics include clutter control, paper management, time management, organizing space and procrastination.Contact Monica at 770-569-2642 or Monica@CatalystOrganizing.com.

Make notes on how long each task takes so you can remember to allow ample time. When running errands between business appointments, always allow for unexpected circumstances such as traffic or long lines.

3.Purge that paper! Many people accumulate paper clutter due to a fear of throwing away something important, or a concern that it may be needed later. The result is that they end up keeping everything and not being able to discern which things have present or future value and which can be safely discarded. The reality is that 80 percent of paper saved ?just in case? is never needed again, and if it is, chances are very good that it can be recreated or obtained from another source. From mail to fax to advertisements and memos, paper is largest contributor to clutter in an office environment. In order to avoid a rapid build-up of paper, a regular paper maintenance system is a necessity in every office. Remember, your trashcan and your shredder are your friends.

4.Make Decisions Quicker. Clutter happens when you postpone decision-making. Try to get into habit of making decisions rapidly on whether to keep paper, mail and other things. The faster you can make confident decisions, faster you?ll keep things moving through your life, which prevents backlong.

Keep in mind is that getting organized is a process rather than an event, so don?t expect miracles overnight. You can speed process along by hiring help, such as a professional organizer, who will work side by side with you and keep you focused. If you do plan on tackling reorganizing project yourself, it?s possible to make a good amount of headway in a relatively short time if you have a game plan and some goals in mind before you start. Just start in one place and keep at it, and before long you?ll be amazed at results you see.

Monica Ricci has been an organizing specialist since 1999, and her motivational presentations teach effective organizing and simplifying techniques for home and work. She also offers free email tips and ideas on how to make life simpler and more organized. Her topics include clutter control, paper management, time management, organizing space and procrastination.Contact Monica at 770-569-2642 or Monica@CatalystOrganizing.com.