Laura Leist - Increase Your Productivity Using Microsoft Outlook 2010

Preface

Increase Your Productivity Using Microsoft Outlook 2010.

Published by Eliminate Chaos, LLC.

Text copyright 2009-2015 by Laura Leist, CPO, MOS

Screen shots copyright 2009-2015 by Laura Leist , CPO, MOS

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other means without prior written permission of Eliminate Chaos.

Eliminate Chaos strictly prohibits the use of these materials, concepts and sequencing in any form of teaching, whether to an individual or group, if the training is not performed by an Eliminate Chaos employee or licensed user of these materials.

Cover Design: Danielle OMalley, Caffeinated Communications.

ISBN-13: 978-0-9862202-2-7

This book is available to be licensed to your organization or produced in volume.

Eliminate Chaos is a federally registered trademark of Eliminate Chaos.

Microsoft and Outlook are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Increase Your Productivity Using Microsoft Outlook 2010 is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, nor has it been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation.

Eliminate Chaos

Snohomish, WA 98296

425-670-2551

877-342-8592

http://www.eliminatechaos.com/

Contents

Why this Book is Different

I realize there are several Microsoft Outlook 2010 books on the market and you have a choice as to which one you purchase. If you have already purchased this book, I thank you and I hope that you will find a great deal of value for your small investment.

If you are trying to decide if this is the book for you please continue reading as I will answer that question for you.

Most of the Outlook 2010 books on the market show you how to use the components of Outlook; such as: Inbox, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Notes. This book is different because it tells you WHY you want to use certain features of the program and how to get the most from them.

What Makes Me Qualified to Write This Book

I am not just another author writing a book about Microsoft Outlook. Many technical writers are more than capable of doing this. Instead, I am a Productivity Consultant with an education in Management Information Systems and Technical Writing. I have taught Microsoft Outlook Classes for over a decade beginning at community colleges in the Seattle area. It was in the 1990s when I began to get frustrated with the quality of the training materials I was being asked to teach with. While the books I used taught the students how to use each component, what it did not explain was HOW to use all of the components together and WHY you would want to do this thus maximizing the use of this program. It was because of this that I decided that I needed to write my own class materials, which eventually became my first book on Outlook Organizing & Customizing with Microsoft Outlook 2002. I then wrote the follow up books; including:

Organizing & Customizing with Microsoft Outlook 2003

Organizing Your Workday Using Microsoft Outlook 2007

E-mail Solutions Using Microsoft Outlook 2007

Business Solutions Using Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager

In addition to my teaching experience and much more importantly, I have over two decades of consulting experience working with businesses to streamline their business processes with the use of technology. I understand the challenges individuals and organizations face on a daily basis with the use of Microsoft Outlook and how to organize and retrieve information quickly when needed.

Increase Your Productivity Using Microsoft Outlook 2010 is the most comprehensive Outlook book that I have written. It is chock full of ideas, tips and suggestions for how you can apply this to your business.

Outlook 2010 Productivity Training and Licensing

Additional Services Offered from Eliminate Chaos

• Seminars
• Productivity Training Classes
• Individual Consulting
• Microsoft Exchange Server Installation and Customization
• Business Contact Manager Installation and Customization
• Licensing

Seminars

Laura Leist and other Eliminate Chaos Specialists travel nationally to provide Outlook Productivity seminars at conferences and conventions, association meetings, corporations and small businesses.

Visit eliminatechaos.com for additional information on Microsoft Outlook programs.

Individual Consulting

Just need some one-on-one consulting with Outlook and how to use this tool to be more productive at work? Laura or one of the Eliminate Chaos Specialists can work with you in your office or remotely via the Internet to take you to the next level and answer your questions.

Licensing

Licensing programs are available for corporations that wish to license the materials for company internal use. Train-the-Trainer and licensing programs are also available for those wanting to use these materials with their own clients.

Book Purchases

Copies of this book can be purchased at eliminatechaos.com.

Discount pricing is available for volume purchases.

Contact Us

425-670-2551

877-342-8592

eliminatechaos.com

Configure Outlook to Open in the Calendar View Instead of Your Inbox

Some suggest that if you open your Outlook each day directly to your Inbox that you can get sucked into e-mail and spend half of your day in it before you realize it.

You can change your settings so that when you open Outlook, it can open into any component of Outlook, such as the Calendar, Tasks, Contact, Notes, etc

How it Works

• From the File ribbon bar, select Options.
• Click the Advanced button.
• Select the component of Outlook you want Outlook to open to, such as by clicking on the Browse button and selecting Calendar.

  

• Click OK two times.

Inbox

E-mail Etiquette

Never send anything that you would not want printed on the front page of the newspaper or put on the Internet for all to see. E-mail, even after it has been deleted, is still retrievable. Because it is difficult to read tone into an e-mail, always proof e-mail before you press send to ensure that your e-mail will not be taken the wrong way. Using CAPS is the equivalent of shouting. Its a good idea to get into the habit of proofing an e-mail before you send it, for spelling, grammar, and ensuring youre answering all questions before you press send.

Organize the Subject Matter of Your E-mail

No one likes to read an e-mail with long paragraphs that go on and on and on. When you compose an e-mail like this, the reader is likely to close it and you may never see a response. Instead, compose your e-mail using short sentences, bullet points, or numbered lists. If you need to draw attention to something specific that required immediate attention or a response, use the bold or underline features or consider using a different color of font for those few words or sentence that you need to highlight. This will help draw the eye to that part of the message so nothing is overlooked.

Example

Processing E-mail

Several years ago I asked one of my clients why she had 14,000 e-mails in her inbox. She told me she didnt know how to delete them. And she was serious.