chapter 19 personal projects
stcejorp lanosrep 91 retpahc
Get your inbox
under control
Is your inbox overflowing? Are you tearing your hair out trying to
find important emails? Here’s how to get into a few good habits
An inbox that isn’t properly Using the subject line correctly will help an add-on to Office Outlook, so you can
maintained can quickly your recipients organize and keep track use it without having to exit the program
become unmanageable, of emails, and will hopefully encourage – and it’s free, too (download it from
and keeping track of your them to do the same. The subject should www.xobni.com). Its features include
emails can turn into a relate to the email and should be super-fast searching – as soon as you
nightmare. If you find that your inbox succinct; avoid vague titles such as ‘hello’ start typing a word, name or email
is regularly flooded by unnecessary because neither you nor your recipient address the search begins. Also included
emails, then one of your first tasks will know what the message is about, are in-depth contact details and
should be to cut down on the new which will hinder subsequent searches. threaded conversations, where you
messages you receive. Most email programs come with tools can see all emails sent between you in
Send any email you don’t wish to that enable you to create folders and chronological order. Another plug-in for
receive to your Junk folder by right- automatically filter emails into the Office Outlook is SpeedFiler ($24,95-
clicking and selecting Junk E-mail ➜ correct folder, and using these will help $39.95, snipurl.com/27cd9) which
Add Sender to Blocked Senders List. you categorize and keep track of emails concentrates more on organizing your
This will also prevent any future emails as soon as they are delivered to you. emails. It has advanced filing and folder-
from the sender going into your inbox. There is also a number of programs management features, keeping your
available that integrate with your email inbox clean and manageable as well as
application and make organizing your giving you the ability to file messages
In real life… emails easier than ever. Xobni works as you’ve already sent to folders.
My mail
james stables,
section editor,
Windows Vista: The
Official Magazine
When it comes to email, I love
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and
the amount of control it places in the
hands of the user. I get in excess of
100 emails a day but, thanks to all
the search options, filtering and
spam control, my inbox is capable of
sorting much of it out without me
getting involved – the only thing
Office Outlook 2007 can’t do is
reply for me! Apart from email, the
integration with the calendar and
RSS feeds means that keeping in
touch – and keeping informed –
couldn’t be more simple.
mESSAgE mAnAgEmEnt Keep your emails in order and you’ll find messages at your fingertips
138 Do more A Real-Life Guide to Getting More Done
Six ways to beat email overload
It’s never too late to get organized – make your life easier today!
1 CREAtE FOLDERS By using folders to
store your emails, you can keep your
inbox free from clutter while still knowing
2 SEt FILtER RULES To create filtering
rules in Windows Mail, go to tools ➜
message Rules ➜ mail. Next, set the
3 gEt RID OF SPAm You can configure
your spam filtering by going to tools
➜ Junk E-mail Options. Windows Mail
where to find a certain email. If your conditions of the filter; for example, the scans emails for words, phrases or
inbox is filling up with emails telling you sender of the email. Then choose the addresses that may indicate spam. By
what your friends are up to on Facebook, action your inbox should take when the choosing the High level of protection,
you might want to create a ‘Social conditions are met; for example moving fewer emails will get through. Some
websites’ folder. To create a new folder, the email to a specific folder. Now you legitimate emails may be classed as spam,
right-click on an existing folder, such as can leave your inbox to organize your however, so glance through your Junk
Inbox, and then select new folder… emails while you work on something else. E-Mail folder regularly.
4 BLOCK LIStS If you receive spam
from only a few sources, you can
block the specific address or domain
5 SEARCH WItH XOBnI If you’re having
trouble hunting down certain emails
in your Microsoft Office Outlook inbox,
6 USE SPEEDFILER The SpeedFiler
add-on for Office Outlook enables
you to categorize your emails in just a
they’re coming from to prevent any more then you might want to consider few clicks. Right-click on the empty
junk messages getting through to your downloading the free add-on, Xobni, Category square by the subject line
inbox. From Junk E-mail Options, click from www.xobni.com and use its and select All Categories. Rename the
on the Blocked Senders tab and then advanced search tool to locate stray categories then exit, right-click on the
select Add. Enter the email address you attachments, contacts and emails. This is square again and select the category
want to block; if you get emails from more thorough than most mail program you want to assign to the email. You can
different addresses but they originate search tools, and as soon as you start create a search folder that contains all
from the same domain, enter the ‘@’ sign, typing the search will begin – enabling emails of a category by clicking the
and then type in the domain name, for you to find what you’re looking for Categorize button, then selecting Open
example ‘@spam.com’. quickly and efficiently. ‘Category name’ Search Folder.
A Real-Life Guide to Getting More Done Do more 139
2007 microsoft office system and
lanosrep 91 retpahc
Your Windows-Based pc: a real-life
Guide to Getting more Done
We hope you enjoyed this excerpt from 2007
Microsoft Office System and Your Windows-
Based PC: A Real-Life Guide to Getting More
Done. the book covers every aspect of
microsoft’s user-friendly operating system
and suite of programs, helping
you to be more productive –
both at home
and at work.
the Best of Windows Vista:
the Official magazine
And, if you want to know more about using
Windows Vista, you’ll want The Best of
Windows Vista: The Official Magazine. this
book is the ultimate guide to using Windows
Vista and will enable you to use your PC to
improve on every aspect of your life.
Both books are available from www.microsoft-press.co.uk,
www.windowsvistamagazine.com (get 34% off the retail
price!), or any good high street or online book retailer
Windows: the official magazine
to get a monthly fix of all things Windows – Windows 7,
Windows mobile, Windows Live – buy Windows: The
Official Magazine (formerly Windows Vista: The Official
Magazine). Go to www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk to
subscribe – save £££s and get the mag delivered to your door!
For the very latest news, help and advice and community forums, go to:
www.officialwindowsmagazine.com
152 Do more A Real-Life Guide to Getting More Done