Dreading the post-holiday e-mail flood? Follow these eight tips to save your inbox sanity during the holiday season.

o Out of Office assistant. Use this feature, generally found through Tools on the Menu bar, to let senders know you are on leave and to advise senders who will be looking after things in your absence.
o Reduce received e-mail. Talk to your clients and prospects now and let them know the dates your business will be closed or when you will be taking leave. This also provides a time to close deals or plan requirements with clients for the coming year. Tip: Put a footer on your e-mail messages notifying your days off.
o If you must check work e-mail from home, commit to a designated period of time each day. Do the same if you use a handheld device, such as a BlackBerry.
o In the time leading up to the holidays, commit to at least 15 minutes each day of uninterrupted time to delete messages and tidy up your e-mail.
o Archive older mail that you need to keep but don't access every day.
o Use flags and reminders as prompts on messages that need to be addressed before the holidays. Many e-mail applications also allow users to drag and drop, or copy messages to the calendar to schedule time to complete items. You will be more likely to complete something if it is on your calendar.
o Regularly empty your deleted items folder. This may not happen automatically.
o Review your e-mail folder structure. Just like a physical filing cabinet, folders in your e-mail may no longer meet your needs over time.

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