I have used Microsoft Outlook so much over the years that you'd think I would have spent more time figuring out how to configure it and optimize my email handling. I am certainly not an adherent to the Inbox Zero philosophy. I have not taken any Outlook courses. I've learned a few things over the years like auto-routing to folders, but that's about it.
Years ago before taking a week off, I indicated in my Automatic Replies message that any emails that were not from someone on my team would not be read and would be deleted. You'd be amazed at the number of people who reacted in horror that I would dare do such a thing. In actuality, I set up a rule that routed any emails from people not on my team or my manager directly to the trash folder. When I returned from a week off, I was able to quickly review all the unread emails in the trash folder. There were perhaps 2-3% that I actually needed to read. At least that saved my inbox from being clogged.
I seemed to remember a function that allowed you to consolidate emails in a thread so that you only see the latest one. I used it, and then I realized I couldn't find various emails. It turns out that I remember emails based on the first person who sent it, not the last person who replied. I never used that feature again. I do use the "Find related messages in conversation" function quite a bit.
Yesterday, I found a video on Tik Tok that showed you how to configure Outlook to highlight emails sent only to you. This is a pretty nifty trick to help prioritize emails. It got me wondering what other bells and whistles are available that would give me a more positive outlook on using Outlook.
Years ago before taking a week off, I indicated in my Automatic Replies message that any emails that were not from someone on my team would not be read and would be deleted. You'd be amazed at the number of people who reacted in horror that I would dare do such a thing. In actuality, I set up a rule that routed any emails from people not on my team or my manager directly to the trash folder. When I returned from a week off, I was able to quickly review all the unread emails in the trash folder. There were perhaps 2-3% that I actually needed to read. At least that saved my inbox from being clogged.
I seemed to remember a function that allowed you to consolidate emails in a thread so that you only see the latest one. I used it, and then I realized I couldn't find various emails. It turns out that I remember emails based on the first person who sent it, not the last person who replied. I never used that feature again. I do use the "Find related messages in conversation" function quite a bit.
Yesterday, I found a video on Tik Tok that showed you how to configure Outlook to highlight emails sent only to you. This is a pretty nifty trick to help prioritize emails. It got me wondering what other bells and whistles are available that would give me a more positive outlook on using Outlook.