I hate email—there, I said it.
As the preferred method of communication in the business world, however, I have learned to (grudgingly) accept it.
Gone are the days, though, when I'd wade into the email swamp only to become hopelessly lost for hours.
So how do I ensure the email beast doesn't devour my entire morning?
I call it "weed and read."
Twice a day, morning and afternoon, I log on to my email account. The morning logon is the weeding phase; I briefly survey my inbox, deleting any emails I have no intention of reading (ads). If I come across an email I have been awaiting—or if the subject seems especially urgent—I open it.