Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
(OP)
For most of my professional life so far, I've used Lotus Notes for e-mail. Within the past year, I've transitioned to Microsoft Outlook and am overall happier for it. I'm finding Outlook is a bit more user-friendly and has some additional functionality I have been looking into.
For one, I'm trying to figure out if I can get Microsoft Outlook to automatically archive e-mails, as my company deletes everything over 60 days old. I'm currently saving e-mails I want to keep directly to project folders, but was wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a more direct approach?
Also, are there any particular plug-ins you all would recommend? Any must-haves out there I should be installing?
Still trying to figure out how I want to use the To-Do list functionality, as well - I've read some past threads on that topic and am starting to explore it a bit.
I appreciate any feedback or suggestions.
For one, I'm trying to figure out if I can get Microsoft Outlook to automatically archive e-mails, as my company deletes everything over 60 days old. I'm currently saving e-mails I want to keep directly to project folders, but was wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a more direct approach?
Also, are there any particular plug-ins you all would recommend? Any must-haves out there I should be installing?
Still trying to figure out how I want to use the To-Do list functionality, as well - I've read some past threads on that topic and am starting to explore it a bit.
I appreciate any feedback or suggestions.





RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
TTFN (ta ta for now)
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RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
The problem with trying to move or categorize incoming mail automatically is that the magic needs some sort of trigger. It can be "from a specific person", or "with a word in the subject" etc.
But when you do that you are putting someone else in charge of your organization.
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
MotorCity, I checked on the reason for our 60-day policy and confirmed it's server-maintenance related - good thought though, I certainly could see it being a risk mitigation strategy.
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
NSPE-CO, Central Chapter
Dinner program: http://nspe-co.org/events.php
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
So in Outlook, you set up a data file (pst file) by first hitting the FILE tab and then clicking on Account Settings.
This brings up a pop up window.
On the pop up window - hit "Data Files" and then hit "Add..."
It will ask you where to put the data file - we usually put it in our project folder under an "Email" folder.
Then give it a name - usually something like this: ProjectName MyInitials Email
This will then create a file called "ProjectName MyInitials Email.pst" in that folder.
The same name will show up on the left side of the Outlook email page. You can drag all your project-associated emails into it and access them as typical emails in a folder in Outlook.
When the project is done, and you've dragged all the emails into it - then you can "close" the folder in Outlook by right-clicking on it.
The pst data file then resides in your project folder permanently.
To re-access it - simply follow the same steps as above to re-open in within Outlook.
Only one person can have the pst file linked to their Outlook at a time - so we do have multiple pst files for a single project by multiple engineers sometimes.
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RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
What I found strange is that when you decide not to send an email and want to cancel it, you get a pop up window that says something like are you sure you want to cancel/delete the email. The default button that is active on that window is "send".
So if by mistake you hit enter on your keyboard, the email is sent. How stupid is that.
Each time I had to go through this, I needed to be very careful not to hit any key on key board and click with the mouse on "cancel/delete". I found outlook way more efficient.
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
How did they get anyone OUTSIDE the company to put that in the subject line?
Even to this day, I still have some sub-contractors and suppliers who send e-mails with EMPTY subject lines!
STF
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
I design aqueducts in a parallel universe.
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
My company completely removes any .pst or archiving, yet anything over 2yrs old is gone forever. Oh and my entire mailbox limit is 1GB. Needless to say, I'm in dire need of a better way to organize and archive my files. This pdf looks promising as it maintains the messages and metadata!
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
If anything, old emails have saved me in the past. It gives me a record that some customer or some vendor said this or that. If my company or myself are responsible for mistakes, I want to know that too.
I suppose deleting internal emails could mitigate certain risks, but that seems a bit shady to me. Someone, please explain what I'm missing.
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
We're so good at what we do - that emails show us in a good light and the opponent in a bad light.
So why would we delete emails? Makes no sense.
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RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
NSPE-CO, Central Chapter
Dinner program: http://nspe-co.org/events.php
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
B.E.
You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
One of the issues in terms of email storage is that mailboxes are a very poor means of storage of company correspondence. Mailboxes are meant to manage correspondence, not to store it for long term retrieval.
Ideally all company correspondence should be filed separately, in a means that allows for all emails to be indexed and stored in a particular location relevant to the company (whether this is a shared folder arrangement, with emails stored by project, or a Document Management System). Having to trawl through every employee's mailbox (past or present) for email records for a project is a great way to waste significant hours. The issue of employees having the right to separately store all correspondence relating to engineering decisions in case of a lawsuit is a separate, but related issue.
EDMS Australia
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
The to-do lists in Outlook work pretty well (tasks). You can also add reminders and flags to e-mails. Things like a remind me at 3:00 to reply.
I also use OneNote for to-do lists. It works great with Outlook. My favorite is the button that lets you take notes for meetings. It copies all the meeting details, has check boxes for attendance and can even include screen shots.
Outlook has a better mobile client than notes.
I use the categories to color code e-mails in the folder. I have one for important things and another for money (invoices, receipts, quotes).
Learn to use the advanced search options like
from:someone
to:me
Another useful add in if you company supports it is Skype for Business. It ingrates fully into meetings for conference calls and screen sharing.
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
B.E.
You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.
RE: Efficiency with Microsoft Outlook
If you need to need separate out certain emails to different folders, you set up different rules, such as emails from a certain person go to this folder or keywords in a subject line go somewhere else. This approach does not always work smoothly. I used to work with multiple projects and noticed almost all incoming project emails had a company project number in the subject. Therefore, I setup a rule that separated out the emails based on the project numbers in the subject line. This worked pretty well, but still got a few emails mixed up because some people sent messages with a bad subject line or none. I don't currently do this anymore, because my role is different now. I still have all outgoing emails archived, because my company deletes outgoing over 30 days old. This helps when no one responds to an email. I've seen people cc themselves on outgoing email, but that seems like unneeded clutter.
Personally, I wish I didn't have to archive so much correspondence. It helps when someone asks you about project that ended years ago. Last year, an engineer had to send out an archived email message from 2010 to settle a process and procedure argument...