In this age of information overload and constant communication, you might be looking for more ways to manage your Inbox.  Folder making and filing might just be passé, or under implemented because you’re lacking the “big picture” approach to email management.

If this sounds about right, try out this skillful strategist’s techniques:

10 Steps to Become an Email Ninja

[Image by obo-bobolina]

So you don’t like spam

Lets face it, if you have an email address, you’re going to get spam. If you are running your email on a server platform , then your IT should be on top of it. And if not, give us a call. Anti-spam solutions running on server can be expensive and taxing to the server. If you are not a huge company , or would like a personalized solution, SpamBayes might just be for you.

Spam Bayes uses bayesian analysis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayesian_inference ,which in a nutshell can predict outcomes based on evidence. As the information changes so does the hypotheses , reflecting one probability as likely and another as unlikely.

So lets get to the actual program, This will run on multiple operating systems ( thought in linux and OSX you will probably need to compile it from source code). It can either run as a standalone program or as a plugin for certain programs. You can find the download section here http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/ .

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An easy solution for the user who occasionally needs to to send a large file (over 10MB) via email, whether it is an image, an mp3, or a massive Excel spreadsheet, try using a service called YouSendIt.com.   It is super easy to use and free, if you choose the Lite plan and your file doesn’t exceed 100MB.

The steps for using it are essentially the same as attaching a file to your email:  login online, add the contact’s email address, attach the file or files (not exceeding the size limit) from your computer and send!

YouSendIt also offers handy applications to streamline office productivity.  If you use Outlook,  download the plugin to integrate YouSendIt into your Outlook email, or download YouSendIt Express which enables desktop sending and receiving.

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We find one of the most common reasons a user experiences Outlook sluggishness is because the user’s Inbox is over 2,000 messages full.  Solution:  sub file your emails.  The reason your email is slow is that Outlook is refreshing and reloading all 2,000+ emails in your Inbox as you are receiving and sending new email; your Inbox is being an energy hog!

I know you are very busy, but  sub filing is easier and quicker than you think.  It is simply making a file system within your Inbox.  This file system can be as general or detailed as suits your work habit.  I need to make a quick, but important distinction before we continue: think of sub filing as an archiving mechanism, but don’t confuse it with Outlook’s prompts to “archive”.  Without going into too much detail, avoid the auto prompt to archive, especially if you are working off an email Exchange server.  It is safer to drag your emails into sub folders within your email, in a self created archiving system, rather than following the prompt to auto archive.

Here is the most general suggestion for sorting your mail so as to optimize the speed of your Outlook Inbox: continue