less emails=less stress

Drag and Drop

Of all of the amazing features in Outlook, Drag and Drop is among the very best. It is a very simple way to reduce email volume and a huge time saver for organizing information in your inbox. No longer do you need to scroll through a long email list to find the one that needs to have an answer right away. Some people drag and drop their email into folders but this feature can be used far more widely than that. In the training seminars I give I teach people how to move email from the inbox into the calendar, tasks, contacts and notes.

Here’s how:

1. Open Outlook and go to your inbox.

1. Find an email that you want to move to a Folder, Task, Appointment, Contact or Note.
2. Put your mouse pointer directly on the email you want to move and press left button. Keep holding it while moving the email to the bottom of the Navigation Pane on the left side of the screen.
4. When you get to the place you want to move the email, release the mouse button.
5. (Note: you can use the right side of the mouse as well. It will give you a choice to copy or move.)

If you drag and drop the email onto the Calendar icon, the email subject will automatically be the subject of the appointment although you can easily change it. Note that the email will be in the body of the appointment for easy reference. Add a date, start and end time for the appointment and location (if desired) and save.

If you drag and drop the email onto the Contacts icon, just click save and you will have created a new contact.

If you drag and drop the email onto the Tasks icon, the subject will be the same as the email (although it can be changed). Fill in the start and due date. (You can also fill in the status and priority if desired). A reminder can also be added. The original email will be in the section below.

It’s that easy! Give it a try today.

Quick Steps (for 2010)

Introduced in 2010, this feature allows you to quickly manage any email by using shortcuts. You can do in one click what ordinarily might take several clicks. Each Quick Step can be customized and used on a daily basis. For example: you can move an email to a specific folder and mark it as read. Or you can forward an email. My favorite Quick Step is to reply and delete. With one click both steps are accomplished.

Below are handy Quick Steps actions that you may want to explore:

• Filing: Move to folder, copy to folder, delete message, permanently delete message
• Change Status: Set as read, set as unread, set importance
• Categories, Tasks and Flags: Categorize messages, clear categories, flag message, clear flags on messages, mark complete, create a task with attachment, create a task with text of message
• Respond: New message, Forward, Reply, Reply All, Reply with meeting, forward message with attachment
• Appointment: New meeting, create an task with attachment, create an appointment with text of message

Here’s How To Create a Quick Step:

1. In Mail, on the Home tab, in the Quick Steps group, in the Quick Steps gallery, click the Create New Quick Step.
2. Click an action type from the list or click Custom.
3. In the Name box, type a name for the new Quick Step.
4. Click the icon button next to the Name box, click an icon, and then click OK.
5. Under Actions, choose an action that you want the Quick Step to do. Click Add Action for any additional actions.

Now go and create new Quick Steps!

It’s summer and time to get away from it  all.  We know that vacations help us rest, recharge, and return to  work more relaxed and more productive.  But the  truth is we still  worry about what we will return to and what we  are leaving behind.

Remember that time does fly, whether you’re  having fun or just plain busy.  The only way to “stop” time is to  punctuate it with key experiences and events that give you pause to  remember.

Without vacations, our years may end up being  a blur of busyness and stress.  When we separate our vacations  from work, we are free to enjoy relationships and build  memories.

This year let’s make it a  work-free getaway. Put aside the urge to be efficient. Forget about email, your office, and managing your time to get the most done in the day. Enjoy the time — and the opportunity — to do something else. When you return from vacation, you will feel renewed and ready to tackle the work load.

Please feel free to write to us at any time and let us know how you are spending your vacation this summer.

• Start gathering your papers and electronic files needed for taxes. Yes, now. Credit card and bank statements, receipts, anything you will need to take to your accountant. And, speaking of your accountant …
• Meet with your accountant to review your situation and determine what, if any, actions to take before the official close of the year.
• Pay outstanding invoices and avoid back dating checks in January.
• Decide if money owed you now should be paid this year or in January. There may be advantages to moving the revenue into the following year.
• Archive 2012 email. If your inbox is filled to the brim, here’s your opportunity to reduce your email volume. And compressed email takes up less space. It’s a win-win.

Have you ever considered what it would be like to have zero emails in your inbox? Most of us have a comfort level and stick with that number. For some it may be 20 while others are happy if they can keep the number to 60. Then there are those who aspire to less than 500. Each one of us has a number. What’s yours?

David Allen from Getting Things Done suggests that the number should be zero. While Allen blogs that zero emails in your inbox will require a definite change in thinking, he thinks it is worth the effort. It is possible to make this change only when you decide that the number you are currently comfortable with is no longer acceptable.

If you are wondering why Allen suggests that we take our inbox from our comfort number to zero, he gives several good reasons. Even though you may flag them and know what emails are already in your inbox, Allen points out that:

1) it takes time — and energy — to go through them every time. This is valuable energy that takes us away from important tasks.

2) the email is still there because you haven’t taken the time to decide how to handle it.

If  you are stressed out by the the number of emails in your inbox, we can teach you the techniques to make decisions on how to handle each email, how to sort quickly and where to put the ones needing further action. Call us at 404-303-8431 or email info@ItsTimeToGetOrganized.com for a free consultation.

As efficiency gurus, we’re all about saving time. One way is by being more efficient with your email.

Email is the #1 problem almost every business person deals with daily. It’s too easy to become so engrossed in email that you ignore today’s must-do list. We recommend using a timer or your phone to keep track of time.  How do you manage the time you spend on email? Let us know.