Fellow email destroyers, fresh faced to your Inbox, you open Outlook. You know what comes next, don’t you? Swamped, the email never-ending from the bottom weird-ins, a to-do list buried so deep you wish there were days in a week and seconds in a day so you could move faster to catch up. You are not alone. In fact, the pile is merciless. Let’s get that Outlook under control; with 10 easy hacks to get organised.
But first, let’s cover objections: ‘I’ve tried to tidy up my inbox before and it always ends up as messy again’; ‘I doubt some of these genius hacks actually work.
I hear you. And trust me, I get it. But stick with me a little longer because I’m about to share some game-changing tips that will help you change the way you understand and approach your inbox.
Now, let’s get to the juicy stuff. Here are 10 soundbites for inbox emancipation:
1. Setup folders and rules to capture emails into folders that relate to specific projects, bookmarked webpages or contact lists
2. Delete unwanted emails before they have a chance to reach your computer
3. When replying to an email, use a folder to move the email to the appropriate place before immediately hitting Reply, and then type your email in the Response window
4. Use subject lines that enable your emails to be searched for on Google.
5. If you’re considering an email reply but end up deciding not to, delete the email instead.
6. Avoid daily clutter by using folders to file emails – set aside a slow period in your day to empty folders.
7. Don’t be afraid to use multiple inboxes or accounts to increase your chances of keeping your main inbox clear
8. Empty your main inbox, which should be your goals-oriented email location, at least once a day.
9. If you have ‘important’ emails that you keep revisiting, convert them into folders.
10. Be patient with your system and constantly ask yourself important questions: How can I make this easier?
More hacks..
Unsubscribe and De-clutter:
You’ll want to unsubscribe ruthlessly, ditching any newsletters or promotional emails you don’t want to receive. Clear out the litter before you get serious.
Create Folders and Labels:
Use Outlook’s folder and labeling capabilities to file emails into folders based on topics or projects, so that you can search for what you need when you need it.
Set Up Filters and Rules:
Set some rules in Outlook to automatically move incoming messages to their respective folders (based on who sent the message, the subject or keywords in the Subject line or body of the message, or any combination thereof). Once you get the hang of it, this will greatly reduce the amount of sorting that has to be done manually.
Prioritize with Flags and Categories:
Star emails that come in as ‘urgent’ so you always know which messages you have to answer right away, and how many emails you have to read through. These small changes will improve your response rate and engagement.
Utilize Quick Steps:
Use Outlook’s Quick Steps to schedule events, forward items or move emails to specific folders and flag items in your inbox for follow‑up.
Optimize Your Search:
After playing with Outlook’s Search feature to find specific emails and conversations, your ability to quickly find what you’re looking for will drastically increase. If you master search, even your unmanageable overflow of messages can feel more ordered and energised.
Schedule Email Time:
Rather, set aside specific times during the day (perhaps once every couple of hours) to spend a set amount of time (15 minutes, but no more than 30) processing and answering email messages. In doing so, you’re removing a constant source of distraction from your day.
Leverage Templates:
Create email templates of responses you give regularly – for ‘standard’ messages or repetitive replies to commonly asked questions – that you can cut and paste.
Stay Synced Across Devices:
Synchronise your emails to your Outlook on all your devices – desktop, laptop, mobile,” he said. “You can check your mail from anywhere on any device at any time without missing a beat.
Regular Maintenance:
Additionally, make keeping your inbox clean a habit rather than an occasional task. Set aside time to deal with and filter your inbox once a week, throw out old emails, archive important messages, and fine-tune your organisational strategy.
And that’s it! 10 genius Outlook hacks to finally take the win over your email inbox and put inbox overwhelm to bed forever. Go you!
