Many of my co-workers support customers across the globe, spanning numerous time zones. If they aren’t responding to customers in Australia, they are sleeping or assisting customers in Europe and other regions. Email does not stop flowing into their inboxes. I mean, there is not one hour of the day when email pauses for them. Overwhelming, right?

The great news is that it doesn’t have to be. There are a plethora of organizational experts and systems out there that can show you how to get and stay organized and implement an organizational system all your own. In regard to email, there are a few key tips to follow that can help you keep your workflow under control and your inbox as close to zero as possible.

1) Schedule. Set aside time every single day to review your inbox. When and how much time you spend is up to you. I’ve seen folks process email for 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes right after lunch and 30 minutes at the end of the day. While others may choose to do 45 minutes to 1 hour in the morning and also in the evening. The key here is to respond to any email that will take you less than 2 minutes to complete. If it is going to take you more than 2 minutes, file it away and respond to it during your next email review session. Not only will you feel more in control of the content flying at you, but you will also prevent email from dictating your workflow.