I've been a little short of time lately and have set up some views in Outlook Express which save time when scanning the group.
By setting a view with only those that I read regularly I can get the most from limited minutes.
Click on View -> Current View -> Customize Current View.
In box 1. De-select "for all messages" select "Where the From line contains people",
then in box 2. click on "contains people" and add the names of those you want to see
Ensure the last line says "Show" the message, if it says "Hide" it will show all messages except ones from those you selected.
Give the view a new name eg "Show Friends" in box 3. then exit. You can now quickly filter down to a few people you want to read when you have limited time.
The views are quite handy when you set them up, don't forget to leave yourself in the views too.
cheers,
Greg