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The speed of your reply depends on a few factors: the urgency of the request, how quickly you've replied in the past, and whether you need to send a thoughtful well-written response. For urgent requests, such as a friend who wants to know if you can give a reference to a potential employer, it's probably helpful if you reply ASAP.

But the real question is how quickly have you responded to emails in the past? Is one to two days normal for you? Or are you known for not checking email for weeks on end? Tell your friends and family how you want to be contacted for certain kinds of requests. For example: If it's really important, call me.

When it comes to people who don't know you well, but who have emailed you for an important reason, respond in a considerate amount of time (as if they'd called or made the request in person). If your son's soccer coach wants to know if you can bring a snack to the next game, but his email got caught in your spam file, let him know the best way to reach you in the future. In general: Don't give out your email address unless you want people to use it. And use filters to automatically file emails into folders so you don't miss important messages.

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