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After you finish processing your messages, you should have a clean Inbox and can switch your focus to your calendar and tasks. If you find that you are repeatedly applying the same categories and flags, create a new Quick Step that flags, categorizes, and files. Quick Steps give you the ability to perform multiple actions in one click. They are a useful tool to help you keep a clean inbox FixTechGuide Windows update Outlook fix and to generally be more efficient at using Outlook.
How can I manage complicated tasks?

For example, many messages can be responded to in two minutes or less. But if a message takes longer than two minutes to deal with, defer it. To get a sense of what two minutes feels like, try timing yourself. If you never want to receive another message as part of this conversation, ignore it. Categories aren’t a required aspect of this system, but they will make your life easier if you are diligent about using them. 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.
I have 10 minutes: What should I read first in my Inbox?
- This becomes even more complicated if there is more than one appropriate folder per message.
- This action will delete old tasks and remove the flag from flagged messages and contacts without deleting the items.
- Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
- But if a message takes longer than two minutes to deal with, defer it.
- We also used CiraSync to sync and update Outlook contacts to iPhone and Android devices.
- They are a useful tool to help you keep a clean inbox and to generally be more efficient at using Outlook.
- As time goes on, you will likely receive more and more messages.
- 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.
Any time you find yourself repeatedly doing the same steps in Outlook, try creating a Quick Step. Collapse the top-level Contact Group folder so that you aren’t distracted by the unread messages in the folders beneath it. For example, we saw how to use Quick Steps, keyboard shortcuts, and calendar reminders.

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Create Contact Groups (formerly known as personal distribution lists) in Outlook when you want to make it easier to send messages to a group of people outside your corporation. For all groups inside your corporation, create a public Contact Group (ask your IT administrator about how to do this). Send your calendar in a message when you set up meetings with people who can’t see your free/busy FixTechGuide support for Office 365 information, such as people outside of your company.
Advanced: How do I create a Search Folder for email messages?
To apply the "Work Less" theory, have Outlook automatically file an email. Then you can read them all at one time without distraction. If you just want to remember a few related tasks, list them in FixTechGuide support for Office 365 the body of the task. If you have more than 20 items in your Inbox, process the last week of messages and then select the remaining messages and move them to your 1-Reference folder.
And as projects change, update your Quick Steps so that they are only the things you really do. For reference messages that you have responded to or otherwise dealt with. Your Quick Click category should be the category that you apply most often.
Set Up Quick Steps
Rules help this process by moving messages into folders based on criteria that you set. Rules filter the messages coming into your Inbox for must-read items only. Favorites, a subset of your mail folders, appear at the top of the navigation pane. Outlook’s Calendar Reminders feature helps users keep their calendars in order so they don’t miss any crucial appointments or meetings.