“If you have an email in the inbox that requires you to do something, create a task in your email service rather than leave the email in there,” Rebecca says. “This will allow you to not only move the email out, but also actively action something rather than just have an email staying in your inbox that will slowly get pushed down in the list.”

“Have template wording set aside if you are regularly sending the same email to clients,” Suzanne says. “Copy and paste this and just add in customised names.”

“Ask people to call you for urgent items rather than send emails,” says Rebecca. “This will ensure that you are able to manage the prioritisation of this task, rather than receive an email that needs immediate action that you may not be able to prioritise effectively.”

“If it’s not addressed to you and you’re simply cc’d in, just file it,” Suzanne advises.

“If you are you often cc’d into emails, have a rule that puts these in a separate folder for you to read during set times, this helps to reduce the size of your inbox,” says Suzanne. “Want to respond promptly to that VIP client? Ensure a rule is set up to flag these mail items.”

“Book time aside where you will not be interrupted and block this out in your diary,” Rebecca says. “Do this at the times of the week where you know you would have the greatest backlog of emails, or plan to do this a couple more times a week or even a day. I set time aside in the morning and in the late afternoon specifically for emails, so that I can try and work through these.”

“Work with people to understand your preferred communication approach,” Rebecca advises. “Some people generally have a preference for email, however some people do not and hate getting information that way, so ask people to work on what is your preferred approach. This may reduce unnecessary email communication if you would prefer a phone call for certain activities.”

Suzanne adds: “Have open conversations with clients/colleagues that you regularly communicate with, and look at other methods that can better utilise your time (and theirs). Setting up scheduled calls or using fast messenger apps such as Slack or Skype For Business can be more efficient and help to reduce email volume.”

“If you are only checking your email at 9am each day for one hour, put an out of office on for the rest of the day stating that you will respond within 24 hours as you only check your emails once a day in order to maximise efficiency,” Suzanne says. “Let them know in your out of office that if the matter is urgent they need to call you.”

“When you go on holiday, set an out of office that lets people know that the email has been deleted and who they need to contact in your absence,” advises Suzanne. “Otherwise you’ll spend the first week back from your holidays in serious stress mode trying to wade through hundreds of emails! Let them know that if the matter requires your personal attention, they can send it after your return and you will respond at this time. Ensure the date you set is at least one day after you get back from leave, so that you don’t come back to a flood of emails on day one.”

“If the volume is simply unrealistic to work through and still maintain your other work/life commitments (and your sanity!) starting afresh may be a better approach,” Suzanne says.

“In the digital world we live in, staying up to date with emails is important, but the most important aspect of this is having boundaries and expectations around when you will respond to emails,” Suzanne says. “Techniques such as Inbox Zero can be a source of stress in themselves, and can result in people spending too much time replying to emails, or replying far too regularly. If you always reply within one hour, then your clients/team/customers are always going to expect that. Ensure you have a healthy approach to emails and utilise other methods as well to communicate with those around you.”