If you use a computer at work, you probably use Microsoft Outlook like millions of people around the world. It was created in 1996 as Hotmail but launched as Outlook by Microsoft in 2012. It’s one of the most popular email and calendar productivity platforms around. But few people really know and use all of Outlook’s features. Learning about all of Outlook’s capabilities and how to use them will really up your productivity game and help you get better organized and work more effectively.
Did you know that you can add a second time zone to your Outlook calendar? This makes working with international clients or co-workers (or family members for your personal emails) much easier to schedule calls and video conferences. It’s set in File/Options/Calendar Time Zones, and after setting, the second time zone is visible in day or week mode on the left side of the calendar.
You can learn all about Outlook productivity hacks in books like Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook by Michael Linenberger and Microsoft Outlook 2019 for Dummies by Faith Wempen, M.A. and Bill Dyszel. But start using the following nine Outlook productivity tips and tricks right now and see what a difference it will make in your day to day organization and work success.
1 – Control Your Notifications
Do you get distracted by frequent email notifications about incoming emails? Do you feel compelled to check emails as soon as you see notifications? How many times do you open emails from notifications only to find some unimportant message or a marketing email that you just delete? Adobe’s survey found that respondents spend 209 minutes checking email at work. That’s a lot of time out of the work day looking at messaging.
You need this Outlook productivity hack to help.
You can limit those incoming notifications so you only get notified about the most important emails from specific people that you designate. That way you only get notifications for emails that really do need your immediate attention.
Cut through distracting incoming notifications all day long and take control in Mail Options. Turn off all desktop alerts and create a rule to display alerts for messages from people you specify.
Now you’ll have far fewer pop-ups for incoming emails and can set a time to check your general inbox when it’s convenient to you.
Read More: Top Strategies for Prioritization and Time Management at Work
2 – Outlook Shortcuts
One of the best Outlook productivity hacks is shortcuts. Use shortcuts to save time when you’re in Outlook. Instead of going to the menu ribbon to find the feature you need, try these:
To reply to an email hit Ctrl + R.
To create a new email hit Ctrl + Shift + M
To open your email hit Ctrl + 1
To open your calendar hit Ctrl + 2
To open your contacts hit Ctrl + 3
To create an appointment hit Ctrl + Shift + A
To create a contact hit Ctrl + Shift + C
3 – Set Reminders Before Deadlines
Tired of getting to the end of projects and stressing about missed steps or outstanding tasks? Let Outlook ease that stress and keep you on point by scheduling check-in reminders in Outlook calendar for tasks that need completion at points before your project delivery deadline. Don’t set reminders only for the deadlines; use them for benchmarking important steps on the way to your project completion.
Schedule check-in reminders for your own tasks in calendar rather than just the start and end dates for projects. And if you work in Office 365, you can use Planner for charting progress against deadlines and revise and refine team tasks to stay on track.
Use Outlook reminders for regular tasks you get distracted from, so you don’t let them slip by undone. Or set reminders to get up from your chair, give your eyes a break from screen time, or do ergo exercises to protect your wrists and back.
Read More: 26 ChatGPT Productivity Prompts to Reduce Hours of Work in Minutes
4 – Inbox – CC Folder
If you’re like most Outlook users, you have a long list of folders where you file your incoming emails to refer back to if needed and to have documentation on communications and information received. You probably also have many many emails that aren’t worth saving that you only quickly read through and then move on, emails that aren’t even specifically yours but which you are included on.
Are you tired of sifting through endless email threads when you are carbon copied on messages? How much time do you spend skimming through and sorting or deleting these messages? Do you dread your inbox when returning from vacation or after a few days off? Have you checked your email on vacation because you didn’t want to get too far behind and return to work to an overloaded inbox?
Need a better way?
Create an Inbox – CC folder to divert all emails that you are only cc’d on, not addressed directly to you. That de-clutters your inbox and makes it easier for you to focus on more important and relevant emails first.
Set up this folder in Rules by selecting Create Rule, then Advanced Options. In the Rules Wizard, click the item “where my name is not in the To box” then on the next screen, “move it to the specified folder.”
5 – Sticky Notes in Outlook
Writing notes to help remember things is a staple of work and personal life. Do you rely on paper sticky notes at your desk for important dates, contact numbers, and emails? Did you know you can take your sticky note game on line with Outlook’s sticky notes feature? Clear your desk of paper notes and load them into Outlook for a more efficient reminder system at your fingertips.
It’s pretty simple by pressing Control/Shift/N anywhere within Outlook to create a sticky note you type your reminder onto. Drag and drop and place your sticky note anywhere on your screen. Organize your notes, or give yourself an extra visual clue by using different colored notes. Change the colors of sticky notes, and categorize notes by color for even more awesome organization.
And by clicking on the Note icon at the bottom of the View pane, manage sticky notes by copying, printing, and searching for notes with the field at the top-right of the window.
Read More: 12 Calendar Management Tips for Executive Assistants
6 – Schedule Time Blocks
How often do you try to work on multiple things at one time? Have you ever done any of these: Checking emails while on the phone with a client? Watching a training video while writing a report?
Creating a presentation while reviewing team stats?
While multitasking may be a fact of modern life, it’s stressful and doesn’t always produce the best results.
If you need some quality time with no interruptions to work on important tasks or projects, Outlook can help with that.
Add blocks of time in your Outlook calendar where you are unavailable for meetings. Schedule time blocks to work on specific tasks and see how your productivity improves.
7 – Create Search Folders
If you find yourself frequently going back to important emails for information or to re-read for understanding, you may want to create search folders. Instead of scrolling through emails from your boss or team members, save the search term to get to the emails you need more quickly.
Go to the left navigation menu and right click on Search Folders. Then select New Search Folder and you can manually customize the search or use the wizards.
When every minute of your day is scheduled, and you have many competing tasks and deadlines to pay attention to, Outlook can be your best friend, your personal assistant, and your productivity secret. And it is always improving features for users. Outlook Insights is available to users with a MyAnalytics user license as an add-on. Internet Explorer 10 or 11 is required.
Outlook Insights reminds you to reserve time to focus when your calendar is packed, let’s you add names of people that you need to prioritize for communications and meetings, and shows you outstanding tasks that need attention. Insights has a quick link to MyAnalytics, so you can easily see how your time is spent and make adjustments if necessary.
8 – View Filter
Picture this: You just got back from a fun vacation. You’re feeling good and ready to get back to work. You turn on your computer and open your email. Whoa, your inbox is flooded with many new messages! While you were gone, your coworkers sent a lot of emails and included you on all of them. Now, you feel overwhelmed and don’t know what to do.
Don’t worry, there’s a quick and easy Microsoft Outlook hack to help clean up your inbox. It’s all about using the ‘Filter’ function in the View tab.
Here are quick steps you can follow:
- Go to the ‘View’ tab at the top.
- Then click on ‘Current View’ and ‘View Settings’.
- Find the ‘Filter’ option and click on it. At first, it’s set to ‘Off’, but you can change that.
This ‘Filter’ option is cool because it is easier to find important emails and lets you focus on these. Maybe you want to see only emails from your boss or from a special customer. Just set the filter to show you emails from that person.
You can also use a filter called ‘Where I am’. This shows only the emails that were sent only to you. These might be emails that you need to do something about right away. By using this filter, you see only these emails. Maybe you need to reply to them or do something else they ask you to do.
And that’s not all. There are many other ways you can use filters to help you deal with lots of emails. It’s a handy tool that can make things a lot easier for you. So, next time you come back from a vacation and find lots of new emails waiting for you, you’ll know what to do!
9 – Insert Frequently Used Phrases Or Blocks Of Text
If you find yourself frequently writing the same information over and over, it’s time to explore this handy tool called “Quick Parts”.
Microsoft Outlook’s “Quick Parts” is an excellent tool to help you write repetitive content and improve productivity. To create Quick Parts, write the text you often use and select it. Next, navigate to the ‘Insert’ tab on the ribbon, then click ‘Quick Parts’ followed by ‘Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery’. Assign a memorable name and save it.
Now you’re ready to use your Quick Part! When composing individual emails, navigate to the ‘Insert’ tab, then ‘Quick Parts’. From the list that appears, choose the Quick Part you wish to include. If you remember the name, simply start typing it in the email body, and press ‘Enter’ when the tooltip appears.
With Quick Parts, you can file frequently used responses, graphics, tables, or mixed content, saving time and ensuring consistency in your Outlook communications.
If the Quick Parts feature is hidden in your Outlook, you can add it to your ribbon for fast and easy access. You open a new email, then click on “Insert” > click “…” > Right-click “Quick Parts” > Select “Pin to Ribbon”.
If you haven’t been using all of Outlooks email and time management features, it’s time to start paying attention to all the productivity tools for Outlook. You will soon use Outlook like a pro!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are some tips to increase productivity using Outlook?
A: Some tips to increase productivity using Outlook include: creating a to-do list, using the scheduling assistant, organizing emails into folders, setting up automatic replies, using the Quick Steps feature, and cleaning up your inbox.
Q: How can I automatically file incoming mail in Outlook?
A: You can automatically file incoming mail in Outlook by setting up rules. To do this, select an email that you want to automatically file, then click on the Rules button and select “Create Rule”. From there, you can set up rules based on the sender, subject line, or other criteria.
Q: How can I clean up my inbox in Outlook and manage my emails more efficiently?
A: You can clean up your inbox in Outlook and manage your emails more efficiently by using the Folder System to create folders for different types of emails, setting up rules to automatically file email, and using the Quick Steps feature to automate repetitive tasks.
Q: How can I use the Outlook calendar to improve my productivity?
A: You can use the Outlook calendar to improve your productivity by scheduling appointments and reminders, setting up recurring events, and using the scheduling assistant to find the best time for meetings. You can also view your calendar in a number of different ways, such as by day, week, or month.
Q: What are some other tips and tricks to help me manage my tasks in Outlook?
A: Some other tips and tricks to help you manage your tasks in Outlook include using the Tasks feature, setting up alerts and reminders, and using the Category function to organize your tasks. You can also use third-party tools and plugins to further customize your Outlook experience.
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