Paul Sloane at Stepcase Lifehack writes an article on 10 things that help in mastering email and not being mastered (full article at http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/make-email-your-servant-not-your-master.html).

I really agree on things written (from start to end), especially when Paul hints to synchronize mobile and desktop worlds.

I only add a bit to this: avoid “noise” and take time to respond to the real adressee. I receive maybe lot of emails a day and most of them are not for me, but someone who decided to “reply to all”. If each one of us avoids this behaviour, we would live more easily in our inbox.

But the most important outcome is that could be sad but it’s true, email is not our work, is ONLY a tool.

I work for a multinational company and I see every day the email being abused: people don’t talk anymore, they write. Quite real time, with all associated risks of wrong or partially wrong understanding.

Not to count IM and similar tools.

This doesn’t mean email is not to be used, but,many times should not be abused.

This post as a comment also at http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/make-email-your-servant-not-your-master.html/comment-page-1#comment-343793