Outlook 2013: Tasks and Quicksteps

There are so many "ins and outs" to Outlook 2013 to increase productivity. The average person may not even know that these tools exist to help them better organize their work routine. In this post, I'll talk about the benefits of utilizing tasks as well as quick steps. These tools will help avoid the dreaded overflow of email in you inbox.

Follow-Up Flags/Tasks

Ever notice in Outlook when you hover over an email in your inbox that a little flag appeared? Maybe you are already using it, but did you know you could flag according to time span of when you want to follow-up on the item? You can even create a reminder on a specific day so that you do not forget to get started on the task. Using the flags will help you keep track of the tasks you need to accomplish.

Quick Steps

Want to clear out your inbox a little? There are quite a few different "quick steps." I encourage you to experiment with them a little. However, I will be focusing specifically on the "flag and move" quick step. With a single click, you will flag an email message for a specific time span, move it to a folder, and also save it as a new message. Not only that, but it still appears in your tasks on Outlook. This could be very handy for emails sent by your principal/boss. That way you can set the time span that you need to complete something and move it out of your inbox. After they are moved, you can still add a reminder to them if you'd like. You enter your saved location and right click on the messages that require reminders.