Your Mailbox is FULL! A quick way to clean up large e-mails

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What is the drawback to having too many e-mails in your Outlook mailbox? Well, there are two:

  • If you get a warning message from your IT department saying your mailbox is full, you run the risk of your e-mail service being shutdown. For most of us, this pretty much means we can’t work anymore, because e-mail has become such an integral part of how we work.
  • Even if you don’t get a warning message, having a big mailbox file can slow down Outlook. Each time you click a button or change screens there might be a delay. This wasted time; it  also become annoying and distracting.

To quickly find large e-mails that are filling up your mailbox file, use the Search Folders in Outlook. Search folders are not real folders; they are search criteria. One of the default search folders provided with Outlook is for locating large e-mails.

HOW:
Under Search Folders, click the search folder you want to use, for example, Larger Than 100 Kb.

Outlook searches ALL folders in your mailbox and lists the e-mails grouped by size. The largest emails are grouped together and identified as Enormous > 5MB. It also shows the date, the size, and in which folder the e-mail is located.

Take a look at the large e-mails and delete any that you no longer need. This quickly frees up space in your mailbox file.

Quickly Entering Dates & Times in Outlook

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Let me tell you about a little known feature in Outlook that enables you work faster. You can use these shortcuts when specifying a date or time in a field, for example, when creating an appointment, meeting, or task in Outlook.

Use any of the examples below, and then press the Tab key to move the cursor to the next field. Outlook will convert the entry into the correct date or time.

Specifying dates:
To specify a date, you can simply type words or letters in the date fields, rather than using the drop-down menu. For example, type:
today – to specify the current date, e.g. Mon. Feb. 20/12
tomorrow – to specify tomorrow’s date, e.g. Tue. Feb. 21/12
mon – to set the date to the next Monday, e.g. Mon. Feb. 20/12 (If the current day is
Monday, then this sets it to the current date)
tue – to set the date to the next Tuesday, e.g. Tue. Feb. 21/12
etc.

next week – to set the date to a week from now, .e.g. Mon. Feb. 27/12
next month – to set the date to this day next month, e.g. Mar. 20/12
next year – to set the date to this day next year, e.g. Feb. 20/13

two days (or 2d) to set the date to two days from today, e.g. Feb. 22/12
two weeks (or 2w) – to set the date to two weeks from today, e.g. Mar. 5/12
two months (or 2m) – to set the date to two months from today, e.g. Mar. 20/12
two years (2y) -  to set the date to two years from today, e.g. Feb. 20/14
etc.

You can also type in the actual date. For example, to create an appointment for August 29, simply type: Aug 29 and then press the Tab key.

Specifying times:
To use a start or end time other than the default half hour increments, type, for example:
930a – for 9:30 am
215p – for 2:15 pm

My New Year’s Resolution & Mouse Traps

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This month I made a resolution for the coming year: to start and write this blog. So here it is, my first post—and the new year hasn’t even started yet!

The idea for this blog has bubbled to the surface over time. Most of my work has been about teaching people about computers and systems—starting back in the days of A: and B: drives and floppy disks—and more recently focusing on time management and productivity skills.

On occasion, a client has said “Gosh, you’re brilliant! How do I know all these things?” Well, truth be told, I’m not really brilliant. However, I do meet many different people, in many different work places, and I learn a lot from working with them. Combine that with a strong background in technology and a lazy disposition always looking to make things easier, and you can be sure to find some practical and helpful information.

So my goal for this blog is to share with you the ‘tips & tricks’ that many people have found helpful. I hope you’ll enjoy the blog and look forward to hearing from you.

Now about the mouse trap…
When it comes to working with computers and being more efficient, one tip I have is: stop mousing around! Instead, use keyboard shortcuts for frequent actions; it will save you time and keep you focused.

To help you stop mousing around, I will regularly include a “mouse trap” — a keyboard shortcut to make you more efficient. Use the mouse trap for a week, it will become a habit.

Mouse Trap for Outlook:
To create a new email, press: Ctrl+Shift+M
This works from anywhere in Microsoft Outlook; you do not need to be in the Inbox.