Turn off new email notifications

  1. In Outlook, go to the File tab.
  2. Choose Options from the menu.
  3. Click on Mail in the menu on the left.
  4. Untick all options in the Message arrival section

Archive your folders

Already have a hierarchy of files to sort your email in place? No need to fuss with them – just retire them all together as they are. You can use your search function to find anything you need later. It’s smart to check with your IT helpdesk how best to archive old emails. You might choose to move your old folders to existing Archive folders (sometimes called Personal folders), but if your company has a central archiving system, you can leave your old folders in your Mailbox. If this is the case we suggest you stash the folders in a separate folder, which we will call Zipped Folders.

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  1. Create a folder called Zipped Folders by right-clicking on your mailbox (email address) and selecting Add new folder.
  2. Move your existing folders to Zipped Folders. You will have to drag your folders in one by one (subfolders will be moved as well. If you have a lot of folders, it helps to start with the bottom folder).

Add the action folders

  1. In Outlook, go to Mail and in the folder list right-click on the mailbox at the top of your list (not your inbox, but the top level, which typically shows your own email address ).
  2. In the menu, choose Add new folder.
  3. Type 1 FILED ITEMS as the folder name and hit enter.
  4. Repeat this to add the folders 2 DO THIS WEEK, 3 HOLDING FOR LATER and 4 WAITING FOR OTHERS.

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When completed, right-click the Do This Week folder and choose Properties. Under the Description box tick Show total number of items radio button to display all email (regardless of whether they are read or unread) in your to-do mailbox.

Enter the weekly check into your Calendar

  1. In Outlook, go to Calendar and select a time slot to do your weekly check (for instance, 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM Friday morning).