July calendar
June 1, 2015
Write great emails
June 30, 2015

Outlook – drowning in your email?

Outlook outlook 13is a tool to manage your communications and your time.

 

Melissa MacBeth, a Lead Program Manager at Microsoft, suggests the following ideas to maximise your time and minimise your effort when working with Outlook. Your main effort should be directed at the work that earns you a living, not searching, filing, replying and forwarding.

Melissa suggests the use of the 4D approach. The four Ds are-

  • Do it (right now, if it will take less than 2 minutes)
  • Delegate it (forward it to someone more appropriate)
  • Defer it (more than 2 minutes of work time) – with a follow up flag.
  • Delete it

Also, it may be time to let some messages go straight through to a folder. Create a rule in the Move box on the Home tab. Move the emails from Sales Reps or Airlines straight to a folder. They are still there if you have time to read them but not choking your Inbox.

Create a series of folders that start with a number to put them at the top of the folder list – 1.Urgent work; 2. Management; 3. Personal. Use them wisely. This is the MUST DO Centre.

Next up – the Dos and Don’t s of great emails.