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IT: using e-mail efficiently

• Disable any 'new mail' warning. Don't read email if you are doing something else (don't let an incoming mail interrupt your work, let the phone system convey emergencies).
• Read email from time to time (at least 4 times a day, set an alarm).
• Your mail software must be configured in order to present (or let you immediately find) complete threads (mails belonging to a given conversation). Always respect the threading approach, therefore answer to a message instead of creating a new one (any new message not replying to another one must start a whole new project).
• Answer immediately or, if you need time to think or fetch an information, 'tick' (mark) the message in your software, to keep it in view. You have to answer, therefore don't procrastinate, don't let messages stack up.
• Quote properly: don't copy the whole message received but quote (after a '>' placed at the beginning of the line) a pertinent segment of it then write your answer, then do the same for the next one.
• Write only in a message about a single project. Therefore don't reply in a single mail to multiple mails not belonging to the same thread. When a discussion about a given topic grows up you may create a dedicated subthread of messages coping with this single topic.
• Use your software environment to benefit from its features:

  automatic splitting

  configure your software in order to have it route any incoming mail to the adequate folder. Example: set a rule any message with a 'Subject' field containing 'greenpeace' goes in the folder named 'greenpeace'

  text-search

  explore then use your software (or an add-on) 'search' feature

  addresses and signatures management

  setting some fields in any new message, depending on the context. For example any message created in your 'mycompany' folder will have a 'From' field containing '<myname@mycompany.com>' instead of the usual '<myname@mypersonnaldomain.com>'.

  housekeeping job

  Answering by pre-built messages or templates, quoting... Don't systematically type (any decent software does most of those stupid tasks).

• Let confidential matters remain confidential and benefit from sealed messages (proof of origin and integrity), therefore crypt, for example using GnuPG

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