Outlook 2003 Efficiency Tips Manage Interruptions: Disconnect Ding 1. From Outlook select Tools/Options 2. Click on Email Options tab 3. Click on Advanced Email Options button 4. Choose to disconnect notifiers Manage Interruptions: Send/Receive Schedule 1. From Outlook select Tools/Options 2. Click on Mail Setup tab 3. Click on Send/Receive button 4. Change the time interval to 30 minutes Create Rules/Filters 1. From Outlook Inbox right click on an email 2. Select Create Rule 3. Place check mark in the first box 4. Click Select Folder to designate where this email is to go 5. To create a new folder select the New Folder Option Note: The Advanced Options Tab in the create rule window will allow for in-depth options for creating rules Use Colors to Prioritize Senders 1. From Outlook select Tools/Organize 2. Select Using Colors 3. Select sender and assign color 4. Then click on Apply Color Mailbox Cleanup Tool 1. From Outlook select Tools/Mailbox Cleanup 2. Check find items larger than 250kb and select Find Insert Hyperlink 1. With the cursor in the body of the document 2. Choose Insert 3. Click on the Hyperlink Icon (Globe/with chain) to open dialog box 4. Short Cut key to open this same dialog box is CTRL+K Rules to divert based on file size 1. Choose Tools then Rules & Alerts 2. Choose New Rule 3. Choose option to Start from a blank rule and click next 4. Highlight the Check Messages when they arrive and choose Next 5. Scroll through this menu (select conditions) and place a check mark in the box with a size in a specific range 6. Click on the link in a specific range which you will see in the Step 2 screen of this window and enter the size parameters you would like to use click OK 7. Choose next 8. You should now be at a window that asks you what you would like to do with the message. This is where you can choose to move it to a folder so it will bypass your inbox.
To Create Categories: 1. Choose an item or control+click multiple items. Items can be any e-mail messages, appointments, contacts, tasks, journal entries, notes, posted items, or other documents in Outlook. 2. Go to Edit then Categories in the tool bar. 3. Click Master Category List. 4. In the New category box, type a name for the category and click Add. 5. Click OK to finish. To Save a Message as a Draft 1. Create a new message. 2. Fill in everything you want to save 3. On the Menu Bar click File Save or CTRL+S to save in the Drafts Folder. 4. Click on the Drafts Folder to display the contents. 5. To send the Draft double click it and fill in any missing fields. 6. NOTE ** The message will be removed from your Drafts Folder after sending. It is useful to select the message from the message list and from the Menu Bar select Edit Copy and then Edit Paste to make a copy or copies of the message if you will need the draft again. Create an E-mail Signature 1. Select Tools/Options/Mail Format Tab. 2. Click on Signatures to open the Create Signature Window. 3. Click New to create a signature. 4. Existing signatures can be edited or deleted from this window. 5. Enter a name for your signature and select blank or template. 6. Click Next 7. Enter your signature information. 8. Select Font and formatting options using these buttons. 9. Click OK. Sending Meeting Invitations 1. From the Calendar Toolbar, Select New and Meeting Request. 2. A Meeting window will open. 3. Fill in the recipient list (just like addressing an e-mail). 4. Include a subject and a location. Labels can be used if desired. 5. Select the date and time of the meeting. 6. Add Objective, Agenda and logistical information 7. Attach any files if applicable. These will be included as attachments when the invitation is sent. 8. Click Send. Invitees can then click Accept, Tentative, Decline, or Propose New Time. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of their response. If they accept the meeting it is added to their calendar automatically. When they respond, the meeting will be updated appropriately on your calendar. As the meeting organizer, once an invitee has accepted you will have a new tab called tracking which lists the status of all invitees. Any invitee, as well as the organizer, can view the status of all invitees by double clicking on the meeting and selecting the Scheduling Tab. Show an additional time zone 1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 2. Click Calendar Options. 3. Click Time Zone. 4. Do one of the following: 5. Select the Show an additional time zone check box. 6. In the Label box, type a description. 7. In the Time zone box, list the time zone you want to add. 8. If you want your computer clock to automatically adjust for daylight saving time changes, select the Adjust for daylight saving time check box
Send an Email to Undisclosed Recipients in Outlook 1. Click the down arrow of the New button. 2. Select Contact. 3. Type "Undisclosed recipients" under Full Name... 4. Type your email address under E-mail... 5. Click Save and Close. If you already have an existing address book entry bearing your email address, make sure Add this as a new contact anyway is checked in the Duplicate Contact Detected dialog and click OK. To send an email to multiple but hidden recipients with "Undisclosed recipients" in the To: field: 1. Start with a new email message in Outlook. 2. Click the To... button. 3. Highlight Undisclosed recipients. 4. Click To ->. 5. Highlight all people in your address book to whom you want to send the message. 6. Click Bcc ->. 7. Click OK. 8. Add any additional recipients' email addresses to the Bcc: field. 9. Separate addresses with semicolons. 10. Compose message click Send. To View Calendar Items Associated with Contacts 1. Open a Contact Card and click on the Activities tab. 2. The default will show all Items related to this contact. 3. Open items by clicking on them in the display window 4. To associate a Contact Card with a meeting or another Contact, 5. Click the Contacts button found at the bottom of the Contact Card window or the Appointment window and select their name from the list. Voting Buttons 1. In the Message Options dialog box, click in the Use voting buttons check box to select it. 2. Either select the voting buttons you wish to use or create your own voting buttons: Delete the default button names Type the text you require Separate the text (and buttons) with semicolons, for example: Morning; Afternoon; Evening 3. Click on the Close button, complete and send the message. To respond to a voting button: 1. Open the message containing voting buttons. 2. Click on the desired voting button to display a message inviting you to edit your response. 3. Either edit the response or click on the OK button. 4. Close the message. To review tracking results and voting responses: 1. Open a reply to a voting message, then close the message. 2. In the Folder List, click on the Sent Items folder icon. 3. Double-click the voting message which contains an information symbol attached to the envelope symbol. To delay delivery of a message 1. In the Message Options dialog box, click on the Do not deliver before box to select it. Click on the date list arrow to display the Date Navigator. 2. Click on the date you wish the message to be sent. 3. Click on the Close button. Make a sent message unavailable after a specified date Some messages, for example an invitation to a meeting, may expire after a given date. In such a case, you can make a message unavailable when a certain date has been passed.
To make a message unavailable after a certain date: 1. In the Message Options dialog box, click on the Expires after box 2. Click on the date list arrow to display the Date Navigator. 3. Click on the date you wish the message to expire. 4. Click on the Close button. Flags No Follow Up Flag Red Follow Up Flag Blue Follow Up Flag Yellow Follow Up Flag Green Follow Up Flag Orange Follow Up Flag Purple Follow Up Flag Follow Up Completed To Flag an Outgoing Message for Follow-Up 1. In the message or contact, click Follow Up. 2. In the Flag to list, select the text you want, or type your own. 3. In the Flag color list, select the color flag you want. (color option is not available for contacts) 4. Enter a date and time in the Due by boxes One of the following appears in the Flag Status column. Flag none Means Not flagged Flagged Flagged as completed When the recipient receives a message with a flag, a comment on the purpose of the flag appears at the top of the message. If you set a reminder, the date will also appear at the top of the message. To Flag Message in your inbox 1. Highlight Message 2. Right Click 3. Choose Follow-up 4. Choose Flag Color Coding Appointments, Meetings and Distribution Lists Microsoft Outlook has 10 colors that you can use to color appointments and meetings. These colors are visible in Day/Week/Month view of Calendar. You can color individual or recurring appointments and meetings manually, or you can use rules to automatically color items that meet certain conditions, such as when a certain word is used in the subject or when a meeting request is sent by a certain person. Manual coloring always take precedence over automatic coloring, so if you have applied manual coloring to an item, automatic coloring will not be applied to it. If you open another person s calendar or a calendar stored in a public folder, you will see the colors that were assigned manually, but no automatic coloring. Automatic coloring can be seen only by the person who set it up. Each color comes with a label. You can change these labels to make them more meaningful to you. For example, you can change the label of the color red from "important" to "urgent
Color an appointment or meeting 1. In Calendar, right-click an appointment or meeting 2. Point to Label on the shortcut menu, and click a color in the list. 3. To remove a color from the appointment or meeting, in the Label list, click None Color a recurring appointment or meeting 1. In Calendar, open an appointment or meeting. 2. Click Open the series, and then click OK. 3. In the Label list, click a color. Color appointments and meetings automatically 1. Right-click the calendar grid, and click Automatic Formatting on the shortcut menu. 2. Click Add, and then type a name for the rule. 3. In the Label list, click a color. 4. Click Condition to specify the conditions under which the color will be applied. If you manually assign a color to an item, automatic coloring cannot be used on that item Rules to color code/flag a group distribution list 1. From the Tools Menu choose Rules and Alerts: Click on New Rule At the top of the screen choose Start from a blank rule Choose Next 2. The next screen requires 2 steps: Step 1 Select the condition (s): Place a check mark in the box from people or distribution list Step 2 Edit the rule description Click on from people or distribution list and then choose the individual sender or distribution list from your address book Choose Next 3. The next screen requires 2 steps: Step 1 Select the action (s): This could include assigning it to a category, flag with a colored flag or mark as important. If you choose flag message with a colored flag for example: Step 2 Edit the rule description Click on a colored flag and then choose the color you wish to use Click OK Choose Next 4. Choose Next to skip the next dialog box 5. In the Finish Rules Set-up screen place a check mark in the Turn on this rule check box 6. Choose Finish 7. Choose Apply 8. Choose OK Note: In #2 above there are other options one could choose such as with specific words in the senders address. With this option you would not have to pull from your address book.
USING FIND IN OUTLOOK 2003 The search tool in Outlook 2003 is called Find; although useful it is not deemed particularly fast There are two search modes: Simple Find & Advanced Find SIMPLE FIND is activated by clicking the Find button on the main Outlook toolbar, or selecting Find from the Tools Menu. By default Simple Find looks in the currently selected folder You can expand the search by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Search In and selecting Choose Folders. Then select only the folders you need to search from the Select Folders Dialog Box. (Note: Subfolders are not automatically included when you select a primary/parent folder) From the same drop down menu you can also expand a search to All Mail Folders just keep in mind this will slow down the search based on the amount of email you are storing. Clear search results using the Clear button on the Find Toolbar, or click Close (x) on the right side of the Find Toolbar ADVANCED FIND is activated by clicking the Options drop down menu on the Find toolbar and selecting Advanced Find or, from Find on the Tools menu by clicking Find and then Advanced Find. Again, by default Advanced Find looks in the currently selected folder To expand the scope of folders to be searched click on the Browse button. This opens the same Select Folder(s) dialog box used in Simple Find from which you can include more folders to search. Advanced Find will allow you to build search criteria s