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Work days have become longer, and nights have seemed to all but disappear. We’re getting pulled in a million different directions, all with the same end goal: Get it done. We go on auto-pilot to try to knock out as much as possible in an attempt to take back our workday. This can cause issues and allows things to fall through the cracks. In modern day business we have many tools in our arsenal to help our day run smoothly. But if these tools aren’t utilized, they can be more of a nuisance than anything else.

Make your tools work for you.

The average person receives anywhere from 20 to 120 emails each day. It only makes sense that your email should work for you, not be a distraction. Here are a few tips to do exactly that:

5 Outlook Tips & Tricks

Depending on the version of Outlook you have, steps may vary

1) Set Rules
Setting Rules allows you to organize your emails as you send and receive them. A Rule is a customizable action that you can put in place and Outlook will automatically perform it when sending or receiving an email. Rules can help you file messages, follow-up and sort – keeping what’s most important right up front.

How to:

• Click on the ‘Home’ tab in the top right-hand corner
• In the task bar click on the Rules icon
• In the drop down click ‘Create Rule’
• Select a template and set your criteria and the action you want this rule to perform

2) Quick Steps
Similar to Rules, Quick Steps allows you to organize your emails more efficiently by applying multiple actions at the same time to emails that you’re handling manually. For example, if you frequently forward messages to your manager or peers, a one-click Quick Step can simplify that task.

How to:

• Click on the ‘Home’ tab in the top right-hand corner
• In the itemized window in the task bar, click on the down arrow to show a drop down
• Click ‘New Quick Step’
• Choose the type of action you would like to implement
• Customize
• Click ‘Finish’

3) Blind Copy / Bcc
Blind Copy or ‘Bcc’ allows you to send an email to a group of people but keep the email addresses hidden from the recipients. Once this feature has been enabled it will appear below the ‘To’ and ‘Cc’ address boxes.

How to:

• Open a new email message
• Click the arrow next to Options to display the Options menu
• Click ‘Bcc’

4) Locating Past Messages
When receiving so many messages a day it’s easy to lose track of where each one goes. Outlooks makes it easy to quickly find past messages from a specific sender.

How to:

• Open a message from the sender in its own window
• Make sure the Message ribbon is expanded
• Click ‘Related’ in the editing section
• Select ‘Messages from Sender’ in the menu that appears

5) Save Multiple Attachments at Once
When receiving an email with multiple attachments it can take a considerable amount of time to save each one individually. Luckily Outlook allows you to save all files attached to an email in one easy step.

How to:

• Open the message in its own window
• Right click on an attachment
• Select ‘Save All Attachments’

Make your life easier by letting your tools work for you.

Wondering what else Outlook can do for you? IT Resource is the partner you need to handle all your email needs. Located just outside Grand Rapids, we work with clients in Muskegon, Holland, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Traverse City. Check out our cloud services!