Although I have tried many different productivity techniques (GTD, TBYL etc), I still find that I have too many emails in my Inbox. Here’s a little technique that I use to get the emails that I need to work on today to show up highlighted at the top of the Inbox. This works even if the emails were received on different days.
Follow the steps below to have the emails you want to deal with today appear at the top of the Inbox:
You will also need to have our eeminders for Outlook addin installed.
- Open Outlook
- Go to your Inbox, select the email that you want to work on today
- Right click on the email and eemind me
- Click Now
- Follow the same steps above for all emails that you wish to deal with today
- Once done, on the eeminders toolbar/ribbon, click View > click Inbox (sort by eeminders)
This will now sort your Inbox and show all emails that you need to deal with today at the top of the Inbox. The emails will also be bold and marked as unread so you know which ones have been done and which are still left.
New to eeminders?
eeminders for Outlook makes it much easier to have an uncluttered Inbox that helps you get the right work done. eeminders comes with a number of views to make it easier to see what you need to work on in your Inbox. With eeminders you can also:
- Defer/Snooze emails out of your Inbox …. until you need them
- Get Follow-up reminders for emails you send… in your Inbox
- Do more than just emails… schedule your non-email tasks in your Inbox too
- Move your non-urgent emails into a Someday folder to relook at in the future when you have free time
- Review and Reschedule your future email workload easily
Download a free 30 day fully functional trial from our website to test drive it yourself or watch a short video to see eeminders in action.
I hope you find this tip and eeminders useful.
Do you know of other ways to use your Inbox as a To-do list? Share it with us by leaving a comment below.
Another idea: create a folder called “Answer Later” and put all the emails that should be responded to, but are not urgent. Give the folder an “AAAnswer Later” name to help bring it to the top of the folder index… Whenever you have moment during the day, go there and answer a few more emails….
Hi,
I have been using quick file for quite sometimes. Paul Atherton (paul@thecarltongroup.co.uk) organised it from me before. Paul is on a long sickleave and the External IT Company we employ need to de-install and re-install quick file on my PC. Please let me know how to proceed.
Kind regards,
Charlie
Another technique: Create a folder called ‘Follow up’. In it create at least a folder for this month and next month – i.e. 01-Jan, 02-Feb, etc. Putting the ’01’ etc results in them being sorted in calendar order. The create folders in just the month you’re going to use now that are numbered ’01’ thru ’31’. As you process your inbox, move e-mails that need attention at specific future dates into the appropriately numbered folder. As you work thru the month, click and drag the ’01’ etc. folders that become ‘past dates’ and move them to the next months folder.
Also create an ‘action needed’ folder into which you put e-mails REALLY needing action today. Drag/move that folder into the numbered folder for today, as the days come and go.
Would like to see Eeminders enhanced for sent mmail, so you can tag it and add the Eeminder Aastra you’re sending it versus having to find it in your sent mail. Too many steps. Time consuming.
This is available if you use QuickFile Pro for Outlook.