Friends, colleagues, and clients are all telling me that one of their biggest challenges is trying to manage e-mail overload. They say everyone wants something from them and consequently, theyre buried in e-mail. Is this a struggle for you? If so, here are a few tips that will save you some time in reading and receiving e-mail.

1. Limit personal e-mail at work.

Yes, this may seem a drastic step but its one that will help you stay focused on priorities so you can complete your work and then spend time doing the things that mean the most to you.

2. Use a spam program.

Your employer or ISP may already cover this but if you are running your own system youll want a spam blocker to help minimize unwanted e-mail as much as possible. (Tip: PC World rates Cloudmark's SpamNet as one of the best.)

3. Use folders to store e-mail.

Your inbox isnt a storage facility, its for incoming mail. Create folders within your e-mail program that mirror the folders you use to store hardcopy in your office/workspace.

4. Change the subject of e-mails to summarize its content.

Make it easy to find any e-mail you decide to keep by changing the subject. For example: if you receive an e-mail with the subject Update and it turns out to be a request for you to send someone an update, change the subject to Send John Doe product update on 8/29/05. This functionality is available in most e-mail programs.

5. Limit the frequency with which you review and process incoming e-mail to 2 or 3xs per day.

Pick times other than when you are most focused, creative, or energized.

6. As a general rule, separate the task of processing your incoming e-mail from working on your e-mail.

Exception: If you can reply or forward an e-mail in a minute or two, do it, then delete it. Otherwise, save the doing/replying/composing for a later work period.

7. Organize your e-mail by Received order.

In other words, make sure youve set up your inbox so the newest e-mails are on top.

8. Empty your e-mail inbox in five steps. Heres how:

• Scan all e-mail and delete the spam. Its impossible to filter out all spam but you can learn to recognize it so you dont waste time opening it or getting a virus. Common characteristics include: a random series of numbers in the From address, the Subject is followed by six spaces then a number, or the subject ends with three exclamation marks.

• Review remaining e-mails from oldest to newest and in order of importance. Read high importance and to do e-mails, then scan FYIs and newsletter e-mails.

• If an e-mail contains information you want to reference later: a) drag it to the appropriate e-mail folder, or b) print it, delete it and file the hardcopy with like material.

• If an e-mail requires that you take an action: a) record the action in your calendar, then b) delete it or file it for future reference.

• If after reviewing an e-mail you determine it has no future value, delete it.