Outlook 2010 Organizing and Managing Email

Outlook 2010

Organizing and Managing Email

Introduction

Using Folders

• To access folder commands, locate and select the Folder tab on the Ribbon. The Folder tab will appear.
  
  Clicking the Folder tab

To Create a New Folder:

1. Locate and select the Folder tab on the Ribbon. The Folder tab will appear.
2. Select the desired location for the folder and then click the New Folder command.
   Clicking New Folder
3. The Create New Folder dialog box will appear. Type the name for the folder and click OK.
   
   Creating a new folder
4. The folder will be created in the selected location.
   
   The newly created folder

   Using Categories

   Categories can make it easier to find and organize your messages. Applying a category is much like moving a message to a folder, but with one important difference: you can apply multiple categories to any message. For example, if you received a message about an upcoming sales meeting, you could apply both the Sales andMeetings categories. Categories are designed to work any way you want—it's easy to rename categories, choose new category colors, and even create new categories.

   To Customize Categories:

   Outlook 2010 offers six default categories. You may want to customize these categories before you start using them to organize your messages, as the default categories may not prove to be especially helpful in sorting your mail.

   1. Locate and select the Categorize command on the Ribbon, then select All Categories... from the drop-down menu.
      
      Customizing default categories
   2. The Color Categories dialog box will appear.
   3. Select the desired category and then click the Rename button. In this example, we'll rename one of the default categories to help organize messages about upcoming staff meetings.
      
      Renaming a category
   4. Type the new name for the category. You can also select a new color if you prefer. Once you're satisfied with the changes, click OK.
      
      Adding a custom category name and color
   5. The customized category will appear in the categories list.
      The customized category

   To Apply a Category:

   1. Select the desired message, then click the Categorize command on the Ribbon.
   2. Select the desired category from the drop-down menu.
      
      Applying a category
   3. The category will be applied to the message and visible in both the View and Reading panes.
      
      The applied category in the View and Reading panes

   To Filter Messages by Categories:

   Once you've applied categories to some of your messages, you can easily view all the messages in any given category by using a filter. For example, you may wish to view messages in the Meetings category so that you can see everything that pertains to an upcoming meeting.

   1. Locate and select the Filter E-mail command on the Ribbon, hover over Categorized, and then select thedesired category from the drop-down menu.
      
      Filtering by category
5. Messages matching the selected category will appear in the View pane.
   
   Messages filtered by category

   Applying Rules

   Rules can save you a lot of time by automatically performing commands like moving or deleting messages as they arrive. For example, if you always move emails from a certain person to a folder, you could create a rule to do this automatically. You can create rules that look for a specific sender, recipient, subject, or specific words that are contained in the body of the email.

   To Create a New Rule:

   1. Locate and select the Rules command on the Ribbon and then select Manage Rules & Alerts... from the drop-down menu.
      
      Adding a new rule
   2. The Rules and Alerts dialog box will appear.
   3. Click the New Rule... button.
      
      Clicking the New Rule... button
6. The Rules Wizard will appear. Follow the instructions to create a new rule.
   
   The Rules Wizard

   Keeping Your Messages Organized

   Even with folders, categories, and rules, it can be difficult to keep up with each message you receive. Review some of the strategies below to learn how to manage your messages more effectively.

   Using Flags

   As you respond to different messages throughout the day, some may prove to be more time-sensitive than others. If you want to make sure you respond to urgent messages quickly, you can use flags. Flags create a taskassociated with the message, which will prompt you with reminders until the task is complete.

   To Apply a Flag:

   1. Select the desired message and then click the Follow Up command on the Ribbon.
   2. Choose the deadline for the task from the drop-down menu.
      
      Applying a flag to a message
   3. The flag will be applied. To mark the task as complete, click the flag and then select Mark Complete from the drop-down menu.
      
      Marking a task as complete

   To Delete Messages Permanently:

   When you delete messages from your inbox, they are first moved to the Deleted Items folder, which is similar to the Recycle Bin on your computer. To delete messages permanently, you will need to empty the Deleted Items folder.

   1. Locate and right-click the Deleted Items folder in the Navigation pane, then select Empty Folder from the drop-down menu.
      
      Clicking Empty Folder
   2. A confirmation dialog box will appear. Click Yes to continue.
      
      Confirming the deletion
   3. The messages will be permanently deleted.
      
      The emptied Deleted Items folder