Millions of people use Microsoft Outlook to manage their email and calendar, both at work and at home. Any messages that you must read should go directly into your Inbox. Aside from your actual folder management, you can make your inbox vastly easier to maintain by using color-coded categories and follow-up flags. Call a meeting when it’s the most efficient way to move forward, and be clear what the objective of the meeting is before you call the meeting. Rather, leave the Contact Group on the To or Cc line. A new group of people is working together for the first time. Limit the number of people to whom you send a message to those who need to read it. You can also select an entire conversation and act on it. Don't use read receipts or delivery receipts on every message you send. If you want an immediate response, don't send a message. But if a message takes longer than two minutes to deal with, defer it. To select a meeting time, select a time suggestion in the Room Finder pane in the Suggested times section, or pick a time on the free/busy grid. The Bcc recipient might not realize that he or she has received a Bcc and might respond to everyone, exposing that he or she received a Bcc message. It’s considered best practice to have a category for: Each of your direct reports and your manager for items that you want to review the next time you meet (for example, a category named 1:1 Manager). Exchange Task Sync best practices report by SPDocKit determines whether all services related to the task synchronization between Exchange and SharePoint Server are configured properly. Are you reading Contact Groups that you don't need to read? Follow the do’s and don’ts of writing great messages. Don’t send attachments in your meeting requests. Yes, you can do this, and it will feel great. If all of the attendees are connected to your corporate network, put the documents on a SharePoint site or on a shared network drive. If you are too busy to respond with a full answer right away, let the sender know that you are looking into the issue and will respond by a certain time or date. Sentences prefaced with the Microsoft Office logo Although it might seem like a big deal to leave all of your messages in your Inbox, there is a hidden cost you pay every time you look at a message and wonder, "Is this something I have to deal with or is this just here for reference?" Reflecting on what you're doing, whether it's a valuable use of your time, and whether you're setting the right priorities. If any of the attendees are external from your company (for example, a vendor who doesn’t have access to your intranet), consider using a SharePoint Workspace. If you suspect that what you are looking for might be in an accepted meeting request (and therefore is on your calendar), try selecting All Outlook Items. This can work as part of a dual-approach strategy, which is what I use. Fortunately, with Outlook, you can view multiple accounts simultaneously. If you want to discuss a set of messages or just one message…. SmartEndring-ChangeSmart ™Use Outlook best practices to achieve your goals -SummaryOutlook basic setup 1. In these cases, start by searching in any folder (Inbox, 1-Reference, etc. Some of the practices here will suit some readers, others will not, but managing and maintaining an efficient, stress-free inbox can help you toward a distraction-free day. Turn off mail and task notifications4. After you process your messages, you can tackle your task list. If you want to power up Outlook tasks with organization and room for details, integrate the awesome note-taking tool OneNote with Outlook. Put action items or questions on separate lines so that they stand out and get noticed. This is a client-side-only rule; it won’t work on Outlook Web App (OWA). A few core scenarios are covered to help you leverage Outlook into your information management needs. A set of folders for Contact Group messages. It requires additional action in another program (for example, "Need to add to document"). On the Menu tab, select Rules, Create rule, followed by Advanced Options. Not everyone has a phone, an online conferencing app, or the proper electronic meeting software and equipment. You can have easy access to a set of messages on a particular topic for a meeting. Most of Information Workers’ tasks come from e-mails. Acknowledge messages that require a more extensive response. For example, include "See additional comments below.". Use the Bcc feature to remove extra people from an email conversation when you deem that they no longer need the extra email or if the conversation topic has changed. A quick glance at your To-Do Bar with categorized tasks lets you know what is immediately actionable (@Office), which tasks you are waiting on other people for (@Waiting), and what you will be meeting about (@Meeting). If you never want to receive another message as part of this conversation, ignore it. If action is required, state what you want in the Subject box. The Kanban method keeps your tasks and progress in plain sight. Meeting Requests Sent to Inbox    All meeting requests, even if sent to a Contact Group, should be sent to the Inbox. Sentences that mention AutoArchive and Outlook Data Files (.pst) are marked with an icon of a folder and file If you find you're doing this often, consider creating a Quick Step that replies and adds the delegated person to the To line. E-mail is a poor place to keep a running list. If you have a message you want to discuss at a meeting, flag that message for the day of the meeting and mark it with the @Meeting category. Your Inbox is for messages sent directly to you or that could be important for you to read. Once an item has been flagged, it will appear in the To-Do Bar. Create a Folder: Ctrl + Shift + E. Automate Filing into the folder. When a new email enters the main folder, I respond appropriately, and decide where it should then head to: Categorization really is key to Outlook productivity. Next, you'll select which folder(s) you'd like to back up, or you can back up the entire root of the email directory. Note: If this folder becomes too large (10,000 items or more), Outlook might become slow when switching to this folder. If you delegate your calendar, choose only one person: Don’t make everyone a delegate of your calendar. Don't use Reply All to a Contact Group asking to be removed. In those cases, you might want to read and respond to only the last message in the conversation. You can apply multiple categories to a single item — as opposed to filing, where items can live in only one folder at a time. Outlook has numerous built-in organizational functions, but you don't need to go crazy to be more... 2. @Waiting for messages or tasks for which you are awaiting a response, but there is no explicit next action for you. If you subscribe to several RSS Feeds, treat them like another distribution list. Right-click the account name, and select Data File Properties. @Offline for tasks that take you away from the computer, such as making a copy of a document. In the Conditional Formatting dialog box, select Add. Create 3 new folders named TO DO, READ ME, DONE; Add them to your Favorites (rightclick, Show in favorites) When reading your messages, decide whether to: Defer it (using categories and flags) for a second review in your task list. Tip: Reminding yourself to send another message is often more effective than flagging the message for your recipient. This action will delete old tasks and remove the flag from flagged messages and contacts without deleting the items. In these cases, reply and include the person you're delegating the message to on the To line. In future, when you start typing the phrase, it will pop-up as an auto-complete suggestion. In this way, you can work on similar tasks together. For example: “Ryan: What is the status of the project? @Email for tasks that involve email messages, meetings, or any other aspect of Outlook. Don't cheat yourself! Spend lots of time every day using Outlook to send and receive messages and to set up or attend meetings. Don’t reply to the whole Contact Group. Use categories to help you group similar tasks together. When using this rule, make sure that your messages have been sent before you shut down your computer. If you regularly reuse standard phrases that make your fingers cry with their repetition, this will save your mind from deteriorating any further. Why a task list in Outlook works better than a paper list: Paper lists can't automatically be kept up-to-date. We all have folders. Note: Using the @ symbol makes the categories stand out in your category list. Changing the name of the task won’t change the subject of the message, but it makes it easier for you to understand what your next task is. Here are ways you can help yourself deal with your tasks: Add tasks as they come to you by typing in the Type a new task box in the To-Do Bar or in the top of Task list, in a blank space in the Daily Task List, or by selecting New Task in the ribbon. Don't write something you wouldn't want everyone in your company to read. You should, however, reduce the number of email addresses that you have to deal with. If it isn't important, delete it immediately. Keeping tasks in your head doesn't work. If you don’t have a Later group, set the flag Start Date on the task to 100 years in the future. When you are sending a message to someone from whom you need a response, do the following: Change the name of the flagged message task in the To-Do Bar to begin with Follow Up. In addition to your work email account (Exchange Server), you can add other accounts such as Outlook.com or Gmail to the same profile in Outlook. If you want to follow up later, flag it for yourself before sending. You can also see messages from other folders when you are in conversation view, which is very helpful when you receive a new message on a lengthy conversation — you can see the whole history, including your replies. Do a daily and weekly review of your tasks and appointments. In any view, on the Home tab, in the Tags group, select Categorize, and then select All Categories. Or, start by typing the name in the Search box, and then press the down arrow key to select From to narrow the results. The goal is to reduce the number of times you touch each message. It will help you to make it clear to others what can and can’t be realistically expected of you to accomplish. You check your messages less frequently, and therefore have more messages to view at a time. For tasks that will take some time, drag the tasks onto the calendar to set aside time to get these tasks done. Email isn’t always an efficient medium for resolving complex issues. A far more efficient Inbox plan is to go through your messages and decide what to do with each one. Minimize the number of teams that require a person's participation. Reading a longer column of narrow text is easier than reading a shorter, wider section of text. Changing the task subject doesn’t change the subject of the message. You can also select Current Mailbox on the Search tab. Microsoft has a hidden gem with an add-in called Dictate. (Knowing how to combine Outlook PST files will come in handy here.). As you go through your calendar and tasks, inevitably you will start thinking of more things you need to do. Users can easily keep “master lists” of projects, tasks, and key areas. In Outlook 365, you can create a structure of folders for... 2. Tasks: Doing your work Bulk process your tasks. Inevitably, messages will be reread, and the mental tax of figuring out what you need to do will be paid again. Rather, just read the messages that are important for you to read. Send messages to let people know that you are working on a response (and make sure to flag it for yourself on send). With the message selected, on the Home tab, in the Respond group, select Meeting. If you are short on time, for example, between meetings, you can read the messages in blue – messages sent directly to you. Customize your task as needed. Below are key points to ensure the best possible experience with these tasks. Here's the answer…" Future messages will then be between only you and the original sender. It’s better to let someone know that you will respond by a realistic date than have the person think that you forgot about the request. This can be a useful summary of what you've accomplished. You can also make sure that you follow up on messages that you receive. Phone or send an instant message. If someone sends a message to a Contact Group that you are a member of and the message would be better answered by someone else or another Contact Group, do the following: Reply with the correct Contact Group or person on the To line. Note: Whether your calendar is shared depends on the version of Microsoft Exchange Server your system is running and how your administrator has configured the server. Some people try to use the read and unread states to indicate whether a message is new or a reference item. If your screen resolution is less than 1024 by 768 pixels, the To-Do Bar can be minimized. If you don't hear back in a timely manner, try using the phone or a messaging app such as Microsoft Teams. Set these folders to auto archive annually. to every message you send. For example, if you have only a few minutes, make all of your phone calls (if you have just a few). To create a rule, right-click the email and browse to Rule. If you already have a POP3 account, but cannot use color categories, it may be you need to turn them on. Then get on with your day! It’s liberating to depend on Outlook instead of your overtaxed brain to keep track of your tasks. Use this group sparingly and clear it out regularly, because it’s at the top of your task list. In order to manage Outlook emails manually, you can follow these Outlook email management tips: Reply Mail Management. Adding appointments to your calendar to make time to get your work done. People whom you want to sync to your mobile phone, especially if your phone isn’t connected to your corporate address book, or for cases where you don’t have connectivity. (With the default settings, on Monday, this is Wednesday; on Tuesday, this is Thursday.). Meet regularly with your manager. If you want to see the tasks that you have pushed out for next week on Monday, arrange by Start Date. To find a message with an attachment, select the Search box and on the Search tab, select Has Attachments. The Work Offline command is highlighted when you're working offline. Having multiple folders means that each time you file a message, you are forced to decide which folder to use. Similarly, when you promise to do something in a message, flag it for yourself so that you have a task in your To-Do Bar to remind you. The tool that you use to collaborate during a meeting depends on the location and access of your participants. If you don't need to keep a record of the task or the message, delete it or clear the flag. You never know where your message might end up. For example, they can help you more easily identify what you can do now and help you group similar tasks so that you can do them all at once. You are often forwarding email to other people (articles, etc.). You receive some messages from Contact Groups in your Inbox due to rules, inadvertently. By viewing your messages in conversation view, you can easily see which conversations have had the most back-and-forth discussion. When you are done customizing, click "Save and Close." This folder is created under the Inbox so that you can collapse the Inbox and remove it from view. Use Outlook’s Task List Instead of Clogging Your inbox. Isolating your email times works somewhat like a batch file process: everything is taken care of at once, and you leave nothing behind. This method, in its purest form, takes Post-It notes, a cork board, and labels, and organizes tasks by progression. Delete all of the categories that you don't plan to use. You receive messages now meant for others. For example, if you are planning a project with multiple steps, nested tasks, and so on, OneNote is a more appropriate tool. Contact Groups    Any email message sent to a Contact Group is sent to a Contact Group folder — unless its keywords suggest that it's important to you, in which case it’s sent to your Inbox. Outlook 2016 includes features that let you easily subscribe to new sources of content and share the features with users inside and outside your organization. Make your subject descriptive and action-oriented. Receive more than 30 email messages a day. Otherwise, consider using an online meeting app such as Microsoft Teams or meeting by phone. Some suggestions include: Pre-pending your name or initials in brackets, for example, [Scott Mitchell]. For example, a flagged message with the subject line Can’t change group membership via keyboard should be renamed Reply to Ryan, which is the next action for this task. Use automatic formatting rules to make all messages sent only to you blue. If you want to find a message from a particular person, select the Search box in any folder, and then on the Search tab, select From. Looking at the whole picture of your time and your tasks will help you to prioritize important work over less urgent tasks. Messages to a Contact Group that only occasionally contain useful or interesting content, regardless of frequency, should have a rule and a folder. Make tasks more actionable by changing the task subject of a flagged message. Here are some ways to create tasks in Outlook: Type in the Type a new task box at the top of the task list. Remember: There is always more to do than time to do it. Highlighted. When working with Outlook, there are a couple of things to keep in mind and when you do, you’ll find that Outlook runs more stable and more pleasant to work with. Top Contributor ‎Apr 2, 2019 6:49 PM. If you are driving, and it’s legal and safe to do so, use the voice memo function on your mobile device or mobile phone to record your tasks and transcribe them later into your To-Do List. The process of managing your task list shouldn't take over your life! A folder for career-related, private, and personal messages. If you are a member of a Contact Group for which you need to read every message, don’t create a rule for it. group my tasks by topic or project so I can bundle up similar tasks; find my stuff in no time; inbox zero (yes, the HOLY GRAIL :-)) Preparations. An Inbox for messages that you need to process (deal with). next to the Instant Search box or on the Search tab, in the Close group, select Close Search. It also helps you to make a commitment to doing work — if you put it on your calendar, you should be committed to doing that work at that time. It’s considered best practice to have the following rules (details on how to set up these rules are in the FAQ at the end of this paper): Automatic Replies    Move all responses to meetings that don’t have content to Deleted Items. For details on how to set up the recommended layout, see the FAQ section. Name this folder 2-Personal. Then you can read them all at one time without distraction. It’s considered best practice to set aside time every morning to manage your task list and your calendar. Flagged items in OneNote appear in the Outlook task list. Outlook creates these folders automatically. Outlook is a starter scenario for many users. Non-electronic items will be shown or passed around. As noted within Outlook, setting the junk mail filter to High could result in some of your regular mail being syphoned from your inbox, so make sure to regularly check your Junk Mail! Deferring a message means that you will review it later, when you have time. Create contacts for: People for whom you want to remember something or add information to their contact, such as their birthday. Note:  Managers might have a single folder for feedback on their employees called 3-Management. You need to see the context of who has responded to whom. To view the Scheduling Assistant when composing a meeting request, on the Meeting tab, in the Show group, select Scheduling Assistant. You use a few categories to help you understand what context your tasks are. Create one per flag you use often. It’s a best practice to have a central repository for your messages, so that you can refer to them after you've "dealt" with them. In the Font dialog box, under Color, select Blue, and then select OK. Reduce the number of places where you manually file messages. Adding a category will make the message easier to find later if you need it (for example, @Project). Some emails don’t require an immediate response… If you are collaborating on a document and everyone is in the same room, use the Track Changes and Comments features in Word. For example, if @Home is purple, and you are at work, you can't do any purple tasks. If you are taking notes or minutes for the meeting, you can also use OneNote to insert meeting details from Outlook into your notes. Be cautious on overusing Tasks … Put people who need to be informed on the Cc line. By having a single folder, you don't have to think about which folder holds which messages, and you know that everything in this folder is something that you have looked at before and wanted to keep. Especially in large organizations, individuals can end up being included in long email chains, although the subject has nothing to do with them. Outlook provides better tools — such as categories and search folders — so you can search effectively. And select your new folder. To: Me    Any message sent directly to you or with you on the Cc line is sent to the Inbox and isn’t processed by other rules, even if it’s also sent to a Contact Group. If your corporate policy dictates that you have multiple folders for each type of item, follow that policy. Outlook has numerous built-in organizational functions, but you don't need to go crazy to be more efficient. Such as folders for projects or Contact Group folders. If you're using a new version of Microsoft 365, you can use Focused Inbox for Outlook to automatically separate the types of messages you're most likely to read right away from other messages. If your organization doesn’t deploy these products or features, these sentences can be disregarded without impacting the overall document and work flow. As you receive messages on that topic, mark them with the category. If you are asking a question and there are several people who could respond, choose just one person rather than sending your question to a group. If it’s junk, delete it. Please note that when used with a High filter level any legitimate mail accidentally moved to that folder will be irretrievable. Use a project list on a spreadsheet, or a shared task management or project management tool instead. For more information, see Automate common or repetitive tasks with Quick Steps: For reference messages that you have responded to or otherwise dealt with. It’s amazing what can be done in two minutes. However, if you're using an IMAP or POP account, Outlook must remain running until the email schedule time is met. Outlook has its own spam filter, thank goodness. Access the dynamic list by clicking Follow Up on the Menu tab. If there are related messages, drag them into the task. Even if you already have only one list, use categories to sort your personal from business tasks and manage your list effectively. Put a check next to move it to the specified folder, and then click the link to define a folder. Note: If you need to read every message on a Contact Group, don’t create a folder for it. Note: If you have tasks that are blocking other people from getting their work done, do those tasks first. Realizing I wouldn't be at home to send some work specific emails due on a given date, I created the email, attached the relevant files, and scheduled for the required date. There are three main types of categories that we recommend creating: Categories aren’t a required aspect of this system, but they will make your life easier if you are diligent about using them. All messages sent to Contact Groups (also known as list servers, or mailing lists, or distribution lists) don’t necessarily need to be read. Now you'll only have to read the darn thing again. Categorize. Try to break down your tasks so that they are as granular as possible using sub-tasks (these are called “steps” in the To-Do app). If you any task to be allocated to someone else, just click “Assign Task” given in the Manage Task area of the Ribbon. Outlook is a tool to help you manage your email messages, calendar, contacts, and tasks. If you can put it off for longer, right-click it and flag it for a later date. Create more room for folders2. Use the advanced options if you only want to back up specific aspects of your account. Put a check next to where my name is in the Cc box and select Next. Favorites give visibility to folders that are otherwise buried in your mail folder list. Here are 5 quick tips that can help you organize your Outlook tasks and increase your productivity. Color categories can be used to bring immediate definition to your inbox, but I would suggest taking it relatively easy. Multiple Contact Groups that are similar should use the same rule and be filed in the same folder. The Navigation Pane folder list should be reserved for folders you use often. This is because it’s easier to move your eyes down than left to right over long distances, which can cause you to move your head and neck and lead to fatigue. If you have a lot of work to do, consider going offline to stem the tide of incoming message distractions. @Phone for calls you have to make or receive. Only invite people who need to be involved. Limiting the time you spend reading messages to once in the morning and once at the end of the day could significantly improve your productivity. erikblues. Let rules help you to read what is most interesting and pertinent to you. Right-click the Email, click “Rules”, Choose “Always move messages from”. Important items that must be done today and can’t roll over to another day. Categories in Outlook allow you to manage items in many different ways. If you receive a large volume of messages (more than 200 messages a day), search folders might be a good way for you to parse mail from different senders. Boss your inbox, using rules and action folders. Learn how to reduce your email inbox clutter with our free eBook: Conclusion. Occasionally, someone will send a message to Contact Group foo with the word bar, but it isn’t something that relates to you. Any time you find yourself repeatedly doing the same steps in Outlook, try creating a Quick Step. If you open the Advanced Options, you'll be able to filter based upon an email being flagged, sensitive, or requiring action, or even down to very specific words used in the body of the email itself. By having a limited number of folders to look in (1-Reference and 2-Personal), you don't have to worry about misfiling a message or needing to copy it into multiple folders if it applies to more than one topic or project. You can schedule this time for yourself with regular appointments and meetings on your calendar. If you change your view, don't forget to change it back! If you need to do it, but it takes longer than two minutes (including reading), defer (hold off on) it. If moving them isn't enough, there is an option to Permanently delete suspected junk email instead of moving to the junk email folder check box. Send your calendar in a message when you set up meetings with people who can’t see your free/busy information, such as people outside of your company. Whenever you find yourself doing the same thing repeatedly, try creating a Quick Step. If you find that you are repeatedly applying the same categories and flags, create a new Quick Step that flags, categorizes, and files. Finally, choose where to save the backup. 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