Do you know that there is an easier way to archive your Outlook e-mails that will keep all related e-mails in one place?
Outlook comes with a built-in auto-archiving feature that shifts e-mails out of your normal Outlook data file. If you normally file your paper documents by client or project then we recommend that you…
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Turn OFF Auto-Archive Right Now
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Auto-Archive basically takes e-mails that are older than a certain date and shifts them out of your main Outlook data file and puts them into a second Outlook data file.
If you need to find an e-mail that is older than a certain date then you have to open the second data file.
If you need to track e-mail conversations for a project that has been going on for a while then you have to jump between the two files.
Auto-Archiving has just messed up your e-mails and greatly increased the amount of work you need to do to find your e-mails.
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Why is Auto-Archive Turned on by Default
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There is a physical limit to the size of your Outlook data file. Although this limit is generous, it can easily be reached over time, particularly if you send and receive a lot of e-mails with attachments.
Even before you get close to this limit, Outlook starts slowing down.
Once you reach this limit, Outlook becomes totally erratic. It slows down, crashes and starts losing your e-mails. For many people Outlook stops opening altogether.
To protect you from this, Outlook built the auto-archive feature. By periodically moving e-mails from your main data file to another archive file, Outlook greatly increases the chances that your main Outlook file keeps working.
The intention behind the feature is very good and it works extremely well for most home and casual e-mail users. But it is far from ideal for serious business e-mail users …
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How to setup Outlook for Proper Archiving
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I believe that where possible we should use the same methods irrespective of technology. E-mails are after all just another form of communication … an evolution from letters and faxes.
How do you file you paper files?
You probably keep ALL paper in the same file until the project is finished irrespective of how long ago the project took place. Then when a project is complete, you take the whole folder and put it in a separate section of the office (or storage) reserved for old project.
Do the same for your E-Mails!
You can find detailed step-by-step instructions for creating your Client or Project folders in Tip 4 of our free report. Then when a project is completed, drag the whole folder into another folder or Outlook data file reserved for Archives.
Now when you need to refer to e-mails for an old project, open the folder and it is all there in one place.
There is one additional benefit to filing your e-mails in this way. We frequently get asked by users how they can file their e-mails with the rest of their electronic files once the project is completed.
How can you create one zip file that they can be put away that has all e-mails, Word documents, Excel files etc?
If you use separate Outlook folders for each project as we recommend, you can use Outlook’s built-in tools to easily export all e-mails for any project into a separate file. This file can then be put away with all other electronic files for the project in your electronic archives.
You can find detailed step-by-step instructions for creating your Outlook folders in Tip 4 of our free report. Tip 10 has additional instructions to export and archive project.
Click this link to download your own copy of the Special Report.
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An inexpensive way to GUARANTEE that your e-mails get filed in the right folders
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In order to get the full benefits of archiving using the methods outlined above, you must file your e-mails into dedicated folders for projects or clients.
Unfortunately this is easier said then done. Experience with thousands of clients around the world has shown us that most users fail to continue with their e-mail filing systems because it takes TOO MUCH WORK!
We created QuickFile for Outlook specifically to solve this problem.
QuickFile for Outlook is an inexpensive Outlook add-on that works inside Outlook by adding two buttons called QuickFile and Send&File to your Outlook. It doesn’t change Outlook in any other way and it won’t change the way you have always used Outlook.
QuickFile is a fantastic time-saver for anyone who wants to use a client or project based filing system in Outlook.
Please give QuickFile for Outlook a try. This is the only add-on we know that
can guarantee that your e-mails get filed properly.
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