Keeping these things in mind, let's look into how you can filter your mail. Filtering can be done a number of ways. You can do it manually -- by creating folders in your inbox and then moving messages into the appropriate folders. The problem with this approach is that it takes a considerable amount of time, and you still may waste much of it in "spam scanning."
You also could create folders in your inbox, and then establish "rules" to move your email to the proper folders. This is still a semi-manual process. You have to create the folders, and then describe the "rules" that filter your mail. Then every time you get mail in your box that doesn't follow any of your "rules," you must go back to create a new "rule" or modify an old one to fit the change. This is still too time consuming and, again, you could still fall victim to "spam scanning" .
We have found the best solution -- create multiple mailboxes to handle the different kinds of mail you receive. We suggest having one "core" email address and as many as four "add-on" email addresses. Your "core" email address is the address that you need to protect the most. This is the address that you give only to those people with whom you correspond daily. These are the people and sites that affect your business decisions and can influence how your business prospers.
Note that family members do not use this email address! Most members of your family who need to get in touch with you during the day will have your phone number. Give more distant relatives one of the "add-on" addresses, described in the next section.