It has been documented that two plus hours in every work day are unproductive because of interruptions and distractions caused by email, instant messaging, texting, etc. 

Read “Email is Making You Stupid” by Joe Robinson in the March 2010 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine for an indepth study of today’s communication challenges. 

http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2010/march/204980.html

I certainly believe this to be true.  There are days when I am constantly bombarded with emails that I don’t seem to get anything accomplished.  Time is money and unproductive time is money lost.  When there is work to be done, I focus my email activity to 3-4 times a day so that I can complete the task at hand.  I also try to pick up the phone when a simple answer is needed.  A lot of time can be wasted with emails back and forth when a phone call can get quicker results.  And using email only when information needs to be documented can significantly reduce the number of disruptions.  Is there a certain practice you’ve initiated to effectively manage electronic communication?  I’d love to hear about it.