Compuquip

We are all always searching for ways to work more efficiently – perform better, work faster, simplify processes, etc. Sometimes even the smallest improvements can make a huge difference in our ease of production, especially when it involves an action that we perform hundreds or thousands of times every week. Enter Compuquip’s ‘Tips & Tricks’ series, aimed at providing useful, simple ways to enhance your computer skills and use of common programs such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. For our first article…

Compuquip’s Top Tips to Improve Productivity in Outlook:

1. Let your email program manage your email as much as possible.
 Email management starts with setting up and using filters. You can configure email rules to send your spam directly to the trash, or to send all emails from a particular person, company, or topic into a folder.
2. Create folders in your inbox that correspond with the action you need to take. Move read emails to these folders. For example – An ‘Immediate Follow-up’ folder can be created for emails that you need to follow-up with within the next 24 hours.
3. Create email templates. If you find yourself sending the same email more than once, create a template. You can still ‘tweak’ the email each time, but it will save you lots of time by not generating a new email.
4. Set up recurring tasks. For those things that you do on a regular basis, set up a new task and format it to recur automatically. This is a great way to manage your To Do List.
5. Use your calendar for reminders.
6. Remind yourself to reply to an Email. Right-click the important message, select Follow Up, and click Add Reminder. You can select the follow up day or select a custom reminder. This will save you time so that you don’t have to go back through and reread emails later.
7. Quickly Find Related Messages. Open a message and click the “Related” button in the Find box.
8. Set up Distribution Lists. Frequently emailing the same group of people? Set up a distribution list for them.

Up next in the Tips & Tricks Series: Shortcut Keys to Manage Outlook more efficiently

Visit the entire Microsoft Training library for more useful tips!