Twenty years ago, the disorganized employee had stacks of papers and files taller than the employee himself. If asked for a specific document, this employee would probably grab the hair on his head and look from side to side, up and down in "search" of this document.

In reality, the employee had no earthly idea where the document was in his mountain of papers.

Thanks to computers and mobile devices, today's disorganized employee looks just like many of the organized employees — he has a desk with a computer, maybe some decorations, but no paper mess. When asked for a specific document, this employee will not be looking over his desk in desperation, but rather, he will click on every computer file he can find in desperate search of where he saved it.

It might not seem like a big deal if it takes a few minutes to find a needed document. But, in reality, damage is done. Even if only a few minutes, the employee has wasted time. A few minutes over and over again can add up.

And, if any of you are like me, this wasted time causes stress. Stress in turn can cause a lack of productivity.

According to a survey from Brothers International Corporation, "an estimated 76 working hours per person each year are lost as a result of disorganization in the workplace." This calculates out to be a total monetary loss of more than $177 billion each year in the U.S. Pretty significant, wouldn't you say?

One of the biggest organizational stressors I have found is my email. Disorganized email can cause a significant waste of time.

Organize your email for ultimate productivity by following these few tips:

1. Create folders — but not too many

Before you do anything with your email, create folders. The number of folders you create is dependent on your individual needs, but a good rule of thumb is between seven and 10 folders — you want to be able to see all folders you need without having to scroll.

You can create subfolders from those, but — just like you don't want to search through thousands of documents — you don't want to be searching through dozens of folders to find the right one either.

Take a look through your emails to discover the best seven to 10 categories based on what you will need in the future. For example, I have a folder designated for a training course I teach. Any email sent to me regarding this course is placed in that folder. I also contribute articles to another website that is separate from my regular job — this also has its own folder.

Creating folders for individual people is not recommended. The only time I recommend a folder for a specific person is if you have one superior who sends regular emails you will need in the future. Creating a folder for each person who sends you emails will just make things more confusing.

If you receive personal emails on your work email, I also recommend creating a folder. You want to keep these separate, and many times these are important emails you want to hold on to rather than delete.

2. An empty inbox should be your goal

My goal is to keep my inbox empty. It never stays empty, and many days I leave with a few emails in my inbox, but that is my goal. I am not saying to delete every single email. I am saying get them out of your inbox.

For me, my inbox is a form of a to-do list. When I receive an email, the first thing I do is determine if there is a task to complete or if I will need it in the future. If neither of these is true, I delete the email. If I am going to need the email in the future, it will go to one of my designated folders. If there is a task, it will stay in my inbox.

With the task email, it will stay in my inbox until the task is complete. Sometimes, I am able to complete the task immediately, and then the email is deleted. Sometimes, the task must be put off until later in the day or sometimes the following day. However, again, it will be deleted as soon as the task is complete.

This is a great way of truly seeing what needs to be done with just the use of email. Once you get your inbox to empty, you have "crossed off" all the items on your to-do list.

3. If your email offers a calendar, use it

Many email providers offer a calendar in addition to the basic email service. You should always take advantage of this. It allows you to keep everything in one place. Instead of having to go back and forth, it's all right there in front of you.

You are able to create "events" for multiple people with email calendars. This allows you to communicate important meetings, events, etc., with co-workers. With this feature, the attendees can click to accept the event, and it will automatically be added to his or her calendar, as well.

My favorite part of the email calendar is the reminder feature. For a busy professional, it can be hard to remember exactly what time the meeting is. It is also difficult to keep track of the current time when you are busy working.

The email calendar can send you a reminder of upcoming obligations. You can set the reminder to go off a day ahead of time or just 15 minutes ahead of time. For quick meetings, I typically set it to go off 15 minutes before the meeting. But, if I need to prepare something ahead of time, I'll set it for a day or two ahead of time to remind myself to start working on it.

Organization is not a one-time fix. You have to stay on top of it. But, once you get organized and are able to maintain order, it will become second nature.

Organizing your email can be a daunting task if it's gotten out of control. But an organized email will save time, reduce stress and make you a more reliable employee. Now, instead of being the person who can never find the email about the meeting, you will be the person everyone emails for help and answers.

Technology has the ability to make your life easier, but it does not guarantee organization. It is up to you to turn your email into an organizational advantage. It's time to start deleting.