Effectively use Outlook to increase productivity and save time with these simple 5 Tips

Members of my Easy Office Organization program and my private clients know I'm a die-hard fan of Outlook. I have tried many email and contact management systems over the years, but always return to this tool one. Why?

Because all I could do, you may need to run my business effectively. It is my:

* E-mail Manager

* Contact Manager

* Calendar Planner

* Task Scheduler

* Notes space

In short, my central command for the operation of my business.

If you are not making full use of Outlook, in other words if only used for email management and nothing more, then today I would like to share with you five ways you can use Outlook to run your business effectively also:

1. Creation e-mail templates

If you are sending the same email more than once, then it is time to take that email and create an Outlook template, which is just save the email in Outlook special templates folder. This saves time as the next time you need to send the same email just have to recover from the templates folder, 'tweak' as needed, and click "send." Some examples of what can create templates for are:

* Thank you for requesting more information

* The confirmation of an appointment

* Request a testimonial from a client

2. Create recurring tasks

This is a great way to build your schedule to the work you do on a regular basis, such as:

* Writing your ezine article

* Updating your accounting system

* Presentation of articles

* Or any other regular task

When creating a new task, simply set it to automatically repeat and the next time that particular task is due to appear in the list – to remind you. What a great way to automate the task list!

3. Create reminders for follow-up appointments

When you create reminders for follow-up appointments you'll never miss important appointments again. There are two ways to use Outlook create reminders for me to follow up with clients and contacts. The first is by right clicking on the item and the choice of monitoring on the menu, and the second is create a task and specify the date the task should be completed by. Either way works well.

4. Create Post-It Notes

The characteristic feature in Outlook is the same as with the sticky post-it notes, so rather than put them in my desk simply use the Notes feature of Outlook in the same way as are stored in one place in my Notes folder.

Use the notes to write down questions, ideas, reminders and anything you write on a sticky note or note paper. You can leave notes open on the screen while you work. This is especially useful when you're using notes to store bits of information that might be needed later, as directions or text you want to reuse in other items or documents.

5. Create folders and rules for filtering emails

This is probably the most used in Outlook for me – having the ability to create rules to handle my incoming emails. When creating rules in Outlook can filter and sort your email automatically as it is in the inbox. For example, you can set your rules in Outlook to say that if you receive an email from an email client it automatically in the Inbox folder of a client – which is a huge time saver!

So now you know how you can use Outlook to manage your business efficiently, increase productivity and save time, what's stopping you?

About the Author

Office organization expert, Tracey Lawton, teaches professional speakers, coaches, and authors how to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com