TIME STEALER: E-mail Gone Wild
Left untamed, an unruly in-box can place a large dent in your productivity—and eat into your leisure time. You'll only squander time hunting down details that are buried in an overflowing e-mail account.

THE FIX: Take charge of your in-box in two simple steps: 1) create an easy organizing system; and 2) process messages instantly and briefly. Start by setting up Trapani's three folders—Archive, Follow Up, Hold—to help you sort, track and review messages.

In your Archive folder, place messages you'll want to refer to later—those that contain completed threads and projects, or answered questions.

Reserve your Follow Up folder for tasks that require you to take action (let the sender know instantly you're working on it, and be sure to add the item to your to-do list).

Put delivery confirmation numbers and messages that you're waiting for others to follow up on in your Hold folder. Review this folder often and as projects wrap up, delete them or move them to the Archive folder. Then, get in the habit of deciding what to do with each e-mail (delete or file) on-arrival, says Trapani. Your ultimate goal: End every day with an empty in-box. If you're at full capacity, though, take baby steps. Rome wasn't built in a day—and your in-box didn't flood that fast either!