Everyone needs a vacation. But returning isn’t always fun, especially not when you’re greeted by an e-mail inbox that is so stuffed it will take days to go through it. Luckily for us, you can take steps in order that your e-mail inbox is clean and orderly when you return. You’ll just need a very good friend at the office.

The helper

Jonathan Feldman, a contributing editor at InformationWeek, recommends you find a friend at work that is willing to sort through your e-mails while you’re out. This is a big job, so you’ll probably have to promise to do the same when they are on vacation. Nothing, after all, is free.

Before your trip

Before you set off on vacation, tell your most frequent e-mailers that you are taking a trip and that your associate will be handling your e-mail while you’re gone. Feldman emphasizes you’ll want to make sure these senders know that another person will be reading their messages.

An organized inbox

When you come back to work, you should be coming back to an well-kept e-mail inbox. Your helper should have read your messages, placed them in labeled folders according to their importance and left you notes on any e-mails that require your urgent attention. Just remember: When your co-workers go on vacation, you’ll have to do the same for your helper.