3 Outlook Features That Keep Me Organized

Quick question for you... Are you using Microsoft Outlook to its fullest potential in your business? The answer is probably not! Well here are a couple of simple things you can implement right away to get more organized using a program that's right on your desktop already. That is unless you are a complete rebel and went with a Mac.

Top 3 Features in Microsoft Outlook that I USE!

1. Folders

I love the folders in Outlook for organizing by topics. I have one for my coaches, one for clients, personal stuff, travel, etc. Here's why I like this, in the old days you needed a folder for everything and that got pretty cumbersome. The level of organization inside a Windows folder just flat-out rocks! For example, in my client's folder I can click on that folder and organize the view I am looking at by client name (From), by subject, date received, etc. My trick is that I collapse all the sub categories so I can scroll through them quickly to find the person I'm looking for. It's like having folders inside folders without all the mess.

2. Tasks

This is by FAR the hidden GEM inside Outlook. If you don't use anything else, USE THIS! I even have it setup in my view when I open outlook so I can see what tasks need to get done today and what I have coming up tomorrow. I use this for everything that isn't an appointment. That includes projects, follow ups, blog posts, etc. You can set it up to remind you or just appear in your view. One thing that I also love about this feature is the ability to add a category to each task. Categories are those 4 little colored squared in your task pane that most people have no clue about. Simply click on the 4 little colored squared to customize your categories. One of the ways I use this feature is to mark my blog tasks. That way at a glance, I can see how much writing I have scheduled. You see, I don't write every time I get an idea. I create a Task; give it a headline about the idea, jot down my thoughts and SCHEDULE IT!

One more cool thing about tasks is that you can click on the main view of this section and filter it by topics... So my most used topics are, Completed tasks, overdue tasks, and active tasks. It's a great way to remind yourself of all the things you have accomplished.

3. Quick Parts

Quick Parts are super cool for several reasons and occasions. For me, I like to use this feature to keep an easy record of my canned email responses or email campaign content. This one is easier to understand once you see it.

So click on "New Email". In the new email message, click on the "Insert" tab at the top of the email. Toward the right of the window you will see a "Quick Parts" drop down menu. Click it. That will show you what you have in the Quick Parts section already.

To use this feature...

Type up an email that you want to save. Highlight the text that you want to save and then click on the Quick Parts drop down menu. Click on "Save selection to Quick Part Gallery". That's it. You are done.

Next time you want to use that quick part, just open an email and click "Insert", and Find the quick part you want to use.

I hope these quick tips help you get more organized in your business...
One last note... If you don't know how to set up your Outlook, find a 12-year-old and ask for help. A 6 pack of red bull, mountain dew, or copy of halo is all it will cost you...

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By Michael LeJeune