The man credited with inventing email died Saturday morning. Ray Tomlinson was 74.
Mr. Tomlinson died of a heart attack, Fortune reported.
In addition to inventing the first generation of an email program for Internet predecessor ARPANET in 1971, Mr. Tomlinson also picked the @ symbol for email addresses. Mr. Tomlinson once said in an interview that he invented email "mostly because it seemed like a neat idea."
The tech community has responded to Mr. Tomlinson's death with sadness and commemorating his accomplishments.
"His work changed the way the world communicates and yet, for all his accomplishments, he remained humble, kind and generous with his time and talents," said Raytheon spokesman Mike Doble, according to The Guardian.
Since email emerged as a primary mode of communication — both in people's personal and professional lives — the tool has been regarded as both a blessing and a curse. The former because of its ability to expedite the transfer of important information in writing, the latter because of the sheer volume of emails people receive and must respond to.
In 2015, more than 205 billion emails were sent each day, and the average worker checks email 74 times daily, according to the Harvard Business Review. Email is a major cause of stress among working people, with 92 percent of employees showing elevated blood pressure and heart rate when using email at work. Even when they attempt to ignore the waves of emails flooding their inboxes, many people feel guilt and anxiety about the tool.
There is a substantial amount of literature proposing best practices for using email at work. Here are five tips for managing email effectively.
1. Check and respond to emails first thing in the morning. Many people put off answering important emails because they require making important decisions. However, according to Harvard Business Review, research consistently demonstrates that one's rational decision-making capacity diminishes over the course of the day, so responding to messages in the morning is usually wise.
2. Respond in a timely manner. Chris Van Gorder, who has a knack for responding to emails within minutes, said he holds himself to a high standard of responsiveness all the time. "My strategy [for communication] is simple. Being responsive is a sign of respect, which is one of our core values as an organization. I've always thought that if someone takes the time to send me a note, I should take the time in return to respond in an appropriate way," he says. "Since we are a 24/7 organization, the first thing I do in the morning before I even head to work is answer any note that came to me during the night, and the last thing I do before going to bed is make sure I didn't miss any during the day."
While Mr. Van Gorder's degree of connectivity is not fitting for all leaders and workers, the recognition that important messages should be answered in a timely fashion is a solid motto.
3. Use email-sorting programs. Services that help group your emails by category or sender can be a significant help when it comes to determining which messages require a prompt reply and which can be addressed later, according to Harvard Business Review.
4. Designate certain times of day for email. Instead of reading and answering emails all day long, an effective practice is designating certain windows of time specifically for email. Doing so can help you address a high volume of emails at a time while freeing other time to work without interruption. Including a note in your email signature with the times you check email lets others know when to expect a reply.
5. Disconnect when you can. Constant connection can quickly deplete you of energy and creativity. Though individuals prefer different degrees of connectivity, it is important to take breaks from email, at least once in a while. One of those times is during vacations. Nancy Schlichting, president and CEO of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System, says when she is on vacation, she answers emails only for a limited period of time in the morning, then doesn't check again for the rest of the day.
"The truth is it's getting harder to totally disconnect," said Ms. Schlichting. "I used to just have a regular phone and a computer. Now I have a phone that has everything on it, and I only have one email address. It's challenging — I might get an email from a family member, but at the same time then I'm looking at everything else that's coming through."