Email Scheduling for Effective Time Management

To schedule an email you’re composing, go to the Options tab and pick “Delay Delivery.”

In the bottom section of the Properties window, check the box for Do Not Deliver Before. Then, use the drop-down boxes to the right to pick the date and time.

Optionally, you can use the additional features in the Properties box. You have Settings with Voting and Tracking Options at the top and additional Delivery Options at the bottom.

When you finish, click “Close” to apply the scheduling.

Contact Groups for Distribution Lists

When you email the same group of people regularly, there’s no easier way to add all those email addresses then by creating a distribution list. The Contact Group feature in Outlook helps you accomplish this.

To quickly create a contact group, go to the Home tab, select the New Items drop-down menu, and choose More Items > Contact Group.

Select “Add Members” and choose the location for your stored contacts.

Pick a contact from the list and click “Members” to add them. Continue this process until you have everyone in the group and click “OK.”

Give your contact group a Name at the top and select “Save & Close.”

When you want to email that new group, click the To button in the compose window and select the group. Or, start typing the name of the group in the To field and select it from the suggestions.

Inbox Rules for Automatic Organization

While email rules may seem intimidating to set up, they are worth the time to save you hassle later. You can automatically move emails to folders, mark messages with priority, play a sound for important emails, and more.

To set up a new rule from scratch, go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts and click “New Rule.”

Or, to create a new rule based on an email you received, open the message in its own window. Click the Rules drop-down menu in the Move section of the ribbon and pick “Create Rule.”

Depending on the option you pick above, select the conditions and actions and then follow the subsequent prompts for your new rule.

When you finish, you can apply it to existing messages in your box or simply click “Finish” to save the rule for future messages that arrive.

Multiple Email Signatures for Proper Closings

To make sure all of your messages have proper closings, you can create multiple email signatures in Outlook. This lets you use a specific signature for business emails versus personal messages.

• To create a signature, select Signature > Signatures on the Message tab of the compose window.

On the Email Signature tab, choose the email account at the top if you have more than one. Then, select “New” on the right. Give your signature a name and click “OK.”

• Set up the signature in the Edit Signature box and pick “Save” when you finish.
• Optionally, you can make the signature the default for new messages, replies, and forwards using the drop-down boxes at the bottom.

Repeat the same process to create additional signatures and select “OK” when you’re done.

When you want to use a signature, head back to the Signature drop-down menu on the Message tab and pick the one you want to use. If you set up a signature as the default, it appears in your email automatically.

Cleaning up your inbox and folders of outdated, unnecessary emails can take time. Using the AutoArchive feature in Outlook, you can automatically remove old messages you no longer need.

Go to File > Options and select “Advanced” on the left. Then, click “AutoArchive Settings” on the right.

Complete each of the fields in the AutoArchive pop-up window for when and how to archive your emails. You can choose when to run the tool and receive a prompt before it runs. You can also pick how to handle certain messages during the AutoArchive process such as the age of the items, which archive folder to use, and even to permanently delete old items.

When you’re done, click “OK” to apply the settings.