Our experts came across these previously published articles we thought you would find useful.

These are re-posts from the original sources. Author: markevans

Email is evil. Email is a productivity killer. We spend too much time in the inbox. It's time to move on from email.

You know what I say to that: "Yeah, right!"

Email is good. Email is a powerful communications medium. Email is an effective way to drive business.

It's why I love the inbox. It's where I connect, build relationships, drive leads and discover what's happening.

It's why I have "enhanced" my GMail account with tool such as Rapportive, Streak and to.

It's why I'm fascinated with iOS email apps – Accompli being the current tool of choice.

If email is so good, why are so many people anti-email?

It probably comes down to a single issue:

A lack of discipline. Email is addictive. Email is a time-suck. Email captivates but it also sends you down digital rabbit holes. Productivity gurus dislike email because it is easy to spend hours engrossed in emails that have little or no value.

This is your fault, not email's problem. You're the one who can't resist the urge to constantly check your inbox. You're the one with the digital ADD that compels you to flip back and forth between email and the thing you're working on. Don't blame email for a lack of control.

We live in a multi-tasking world where everything happens at the same time. Email is dangerous because it's always on; a relentless and seductive siren that calls your name at all hours. People believe checking email is good because it keeps them in touch. But it is also distracting and stops you from living in the moment – be it personal or professional.

To get the most out of email, you need self-control. You are the master of email, not the other way around. Your inbox is always dutifully waiting for you. It's not going anywhere. There is no need to check it every few minutes, which only exacerbates your email anxiety.

And here's another reality about email: Most people don't expect instant replies. There is no penalty for taking hours to click on reply. In fact, you do both parties a favour by not responding right away. First, you have time to think about the message so you can decide on the best answer. Second, there is less pressure for the other person to respond quickly because you have responded right away.

Looking for another way to embrace email discipline? Stop sending people email messages at night and during the weekends. It means you're spending non-work time doing work and, as important, forcing people to spend non-work time doing work. This is a lose-lose proposition.

Here are some more email tips:

1. Keep emails short and to the point. The tighter the email, the less time it takes to read.

2. Be clear about the expected response. If you want a reply, ask for it. If not, say so.

3. Not every email requires a reply. Many email strings can come to a dead-stop.

4. If you need to see if emails are opened, use a tracking tool such as Yesware, Signals or BananaTag.

5. Give yourself a number of slots during the day to check email, rather than checking throughout the day.

Bottom line: Email isn't evil or a time-killer if used effectively. There is tremendous value from email, which explains why it continues to thrive as new tools emerge. With the right approach and discipline, email is a workhorse that helps get stuff done.