Isn’t it interesting that most people in the workplace have never had any formal training about better managing their e-mail! E-mail is now the most important communication tool in the workplace. A few years ago most of us would pick up the telephone and call someone. Today, it’s much easier to send them an e-mail. This all sounds very good, but why it is doing is that it is clogging up our inbox and taking us away from doing important work. Don’t get me wrong, e-mail is a very important tool, but do you think that at times it is overused? Would you like to gain control of your inbox?

If you answered yes I have some great news; I can offer you some ideas and suggestions to take back control of your inbox.

That’s why I have put together my new book called “The E-mail Manual“. It is the book you should have received when you first started using e-mail. I think if everybody had a copy of this book on their desks and read it before they started using e-mail, there would be a fewer problems and issues with using and managing e-mail. Please enjoy these 5 email strategies. Be on the lookout for my other articles on how to better manage your e-mail and reduce the size of your inbox.

41. Use ’Blind Courtesy Copy’ (BCC) with care

‘Blind Courtesy’ copy (BCC) lets you keep others in the email conversation loop without alarming or notifying those who you are writing to.

It gives you a lot of control to make sure ‘certain people’ stay in the loop without making it obvious to the recipient of your Email.

Although it can have its advantages, it can also have many disadvantages. My tip is to use BCC with care and only use it if you feel it is necessary.

42. Put All your email newsletters and RSS feeds in one location

Rather than clogging up your Inbox, create some simple email rules so that any newsletters or RSS feeds you are subscribed to go straight to a relevant folder.

Friday afternoon is always a good time to scan through your newsletters; not Tuesday morning at 10am.

43. Careful opening any attachments

The most common way a virus can get into your computer is in an attachment that comes with an Email. This is especially true of attachments from people that are not from your usual email community or from people sending email from home computers.

You can see if an attachment is associated with an incoming email because you will see a symbol of a paperclip along the side of that Email.

When in doubt, delete it! Even if you have anti-virus software installed, delete any email with an attachment unless it is from a trusted source or it’s an attachment that you were already expecting.

44. Install a good email virus protection software

It is almost impossible to have anything to do with the internet and not be aware of these things called viruses, malware and spyware.

The severity of these internet ‘diseases’ can range from being big nuisances to being totally destructive.

Some viruses can slow down your computer; some transmit information about you or your computer to someone far away so they can use your personal information.

To keep net nasties from sneaking in via Email, buy one of the best email antivirus and anti-spyware software packages for your home PC.

Right now Norton and McAfee are the top rated software packages that can do the job for you. They are worth the investment as they protect your important data and your identity.

Every home computer should have a firewall, an anti-virus program, and an anti-spyware/ malware program.

45. Keep your anti-virus data constantly up to date

If you go to the trouble of buying and installing a good anti-virus and anti-spyware program for your home PC, make sure it checks for updates every day.

New viruses spring into existence overnight and it’s the job of companies like Norton and McAfee to stay on top of what is out there. By setting the software to ‘auto-update’ your computer frequently and without restrictions, you will know that the next big virus scare won’t affect you.

If you would like to learn how to better manage your e-mail or inbox, why not consider my Zero Inbox training program? This e-mail management course is available in Australia and will soon be available online. You can visit, http://www.success.net.au/seminars/zero-inbox.html to learn more about how to better manage your e-mail and reduce your inbox. Alternatively, you can visit: http://www.zero-inbox.com/