Email Inbox Full? Tackle it with MS Outlook

Cure your email inbox woes using MS Outlook. It is usual to get back to work and find your email inbox full of enquires, spam, messages and to-do tasks in January. Rather than throw your hands in the air and delete the lot, we shall help you use MS Outlook and reduce your email headache.

Sifting and Sorting

Here folders will become your best resource. Setting up folders within your email inbox can help you quickly find an email. Right-click on your email address and select 'new folder'. You can name this folder whatever suits you. Then whilst looking at your inbox, use the search facility to look for all the emails that should be in this new folder, select all and move them. Repeat until all your wanted email has been sorted into the folders. What's left can be sent to the deleted folder or the spam box. You now have an empty inbox!

Folder Heaven

Now that your emails are in folders, you can tackle each folder as you need. Having all one client's emails in one folder also means you can keep track of conversations.

Another way to set up folders is to have a 'this week' folder and move everything you need to deal with in the next seven days to that folder. Once you have done with each email, ask yourself whether you will realistically ever need it again or not. Either delete, archive or save it in an appropriate folder based on your decision.

Unsubscribe

If you found a lot of newsletters or email flyers, pop them all into a folder. You can then choose to unsubscribe to the ones you don't need or find useful. Be fairly ruthless and only keep what actually contributes to your life or work. Try the Marie Kondo way of asking does it 'Spark Joy' Put the ones you do choose to read into their folders for when you are ready to read.

Spam and Filters

If you have a Business Premium Microsoft email account, most spam will find its way to the spam folder within your email folders. For this reason, you should check your spam box regularly for wanted emails that may have made their way there. Right-clicking on an email gives you options. Marking an email as spam will make future emails from the address go straight to your spam folder. Equally, marking an email as not spam will mean you should find it in your inbox in future. In the settings, you can organise the spam box folder and the deleted emails folder to empty after a set number of days, or you can right-click on the folder and 'empty folder.'

Filtering or setting up rules for email addresses will mean sending the email directly to the specified folder. This will save you hours of sifting and sorting.

Empty Email Inbox - Keep it That Way

Now that your email inbox is empty, it's time for you to keep it that way. Rather than constantly checking your email, why not set your email to download at set times in your day? For example, once at 9 am to check what's come in for that day, again around lunchtime to check replies and finally at the end of the day.

Need More IT Help?

Cynetix can help you get Microsoft 365 and Office suite up and running. We can also help with software, and IT issues under a service contract or ad hoc. Whichever suits you. Please contact us if you'd like more help.