Take Back Control Of Your Inbox
5 Simple Ways To Tame The Outlook Email Monster

1.)  Put Junk Mail In Its Place With The Junk E-Mail Filter

From Outlook’s main screen, click on Actions / Junk E-mail / Junk E-mail Options…  From this window you can enable/disable the junk filter, set its sensitivity and designate specific email addresses as safe or blocked (aka white & black listing).  Email identified as Junk Mail is automatically delivered to the Junk E-mail box keeping your inbox clear of clutter.

2.)  Create Rules

Rules automatically process e-mail as it is received.  There are more than 20 things you can do with a message including auto-forward, delete, reply and move mail to a different mailbox based on the sender, subject and more.  Create a rule by clicking on Tools / Rules and Alerts…

3.)  Quickly Create Emails Sent To A List Of Addresses

If you frequently send emails to the same list of addresses, create a shortcut on your desktop that opens a blank email automatically addressed to your list.  Right click on an open area of your Windows Desktop, point to New then click Shortcut.  In the “location of the item” box type the word mailto: followed by each email address separated by a comma leaving no spaces.  Click the Next> button to name your shortcut then click Finish.  Test by double clicking on the shortcut.  A new blank e-mail message should open with the list of addresses in the To: field.

4.)  Clean Up Your Mailbox

Click on Tools / Mailbox Cleanup… From this window you can check the size of your Outlook file, find items to move or delete, empty the deleted items folder and archive old items to the Outlook archive file.  Outlook slows down dramatically when its data file is 1GB or larger.

5.)  Read Email Without Having To Open It

Click on View / Reading Pane and choose to automatically view emails to the right or bottom of the mail box summary list.