Set your email boundaries

This is where sticking to your allocated emailing time becomes crucial. “Traffic is generated if the people you ping-pong messages to every day don’t know when to expect a reply, as they’re likely to chase you,” explains Dr Russell. Start by setting an out of office which tells people when their email will be read, then deal with emails at the same time each day. Within two weeks your email partners should know how you work and will be less likely to send emails outside of these times.

Respect your out of office

“None of this will work if you go against your out of office,” warns Dr Russell. “Word it carefully including an estimated reply time, so it reflects what you plan to do once you’ve read the email. If you’re going away and, like one CEO I’ve interviewed, will delete the 2,000 plus emails waiting on your return, make this clear as it will stop people sending follow-up emails.”

Streamline in seconds with filters and rules

In her book Brilliant Email, email management expert Dr Monica Seeley advises setting ‘rules’ or ‘filters’ to categorise messages before they even reach your inbox. In Outlook, just right click on a message, go to ‘rules’, then ‘create rule’. From here you can set all emails from that sender, or all emails containing similar wording to bypass your inbox and appear only in a specified folder.

The added benefit? You can then choose which folders appear on your phone or iPad. Setting a rule which sends seldom-useful marketing mails about your company’s newest training courses to a ‘training course’ folder, will mean that these no longer have your inbox buzzing at 2am.

Unsubscribe

Bayney defines unsubscribing as the most efficient way to streamline. Search for the word ‘unsubscribe’ and opt out of any email you haven’t read in the last six months. Ultimately emails won’t go away, “but as long as you use it properly,” soothes Dr Russell, “it is a perfectly functional and personable tool.” Meltdown averted.

You've got mail (all the bloody time!)