Reply Quickly Or Not At All
Try to reply e-mail within a day or two. A two-sentence message usually comes with the assumption that you will answer it now. Longer e-mail that read more like traditional paper letters normally invite a more deliberate response.

Use A Real E-Mail Program
The most important rule of all, use a good featured e-mailing program. Features such as message tracking, indication of all the messages you’ve replied and etc.

Folders Are Your Friend
Unless you’re going to delete every message after you read or reply to it, you will need someway to separate the important stuff from plain old fluff. Most programs let you setup a list of folders beyond the default folders. Use this capability to organize the old e-mail. Keep the Inbox for the mail that’s just arrived and has yet to be dealt with.

Filter Wisely
Why should you do all the work of shuffling messages into folders when you can make your computer to do it? That’s the beauty of automated mail filtering. You can delete some of the junk e-mail sight unseen. It can also quickly tell you which messages are worth reading now and which can wait.

Think Twice About Signing Up For Mailing Lists
Be cautious about signing up for any list set up for open ended discussions, especially if you’re going to be the 5000th person to join.

Get A Throwaway E-Mail Address
Computer software, sites ands services all expect you to cough up an e-mail address when you register for them. Do you want to risk any or all of them selling your e-mail address to their “valued marketing partners”? Set up a second account at one of the free Web-based e-mail services – e.g. Hotmail or Yahoo and use that for registrations instead of your everyday one. Check that account no more than once a week.

When Friends And Family E-Mail You, Reply To Them First
The whole point of e-mail is to help you stay in closer touch with the people you care about. So, when your mother e-mails to you, please don’t forget to write and reply.