Just looking at your overflowing Microsoft Outlook inbox gives you a headache, doesn’t it? But the good news is, a little inbox management can go a long way toward decreasing your email-related stress. Here are four tricks (for Outlook versions 2002 through 2010) to get you some relief:
Use subfolders. The easiest way to de-stress your inbox? Move already processed emails from the inbox to appropriate subfolders. Your subfolders can be based on client, matter, project, or whatever organizational scheme makes the most sense for your practice.
To create a subfolder, make sure your Inbox is selected, then click on the File menu and select Folder, then New Folder. Name the folder and click OK to finish.
Flag emails for follow-up. Don’t let yourself forget to reply to or re-read that important email! Use flags to remind you to follow up.
You can either right-click on the message in version 2002 and 2003 and choose Follow-Up (the resulting dialog box will allow you to choose from a list of appropriate actions, like Follow-Up, Read, or Forward), or click the Quick Flag on the right-hand column of the message (versions 2007 and 2010) and choose when you want to be reminded with a pop-up.
