How to organize your email

 

It can sometimes be difficult to keep your e-mail inbox tidy, especially if you receive a lot of messages. Even if spam is dealt with through some type of filter, many messages can remain from many different people and dealing with many different subjects.

"We can all use a little help keeping our e-mail in order," says Shawn Harness, a technical support representative for Socket. "Fortunately, once you familiarize yourself with it, a program like Outlook Express can help you stay organized."

Outlook Express is one of the most popular e-mail programs used today, so included below are some tips to save time and get organized using that program. However, other e-mail programs usually offer similar features. Check the program’s help menu or instruction manual for more information.

 

Use folders and sub-folders to manage your mail.

In Outlook Express: File-->New-->Folder
Create your own electronic filing system using folders and sub-folders to sort messages. The types of folders you create and which messages you include in them are completely up to you.

 

Create rules to automatically sort your messages.

In Outlook Express: Tools-->Message Rules-->Mail
Organize your messages as soon as they arrive by specifying folders they should be delivered to. Sort messages based on the sender, subject line, priority level or message size. Then indicate whether you would like the message to be delivered to a certain folder, deleted or marked in a particular way.

 

Control the flow of your mail

In Outlook Express: Tools-->Options-->General
Change the interval at which your e-mail program automatically checks for new messages and sends outgoing e-mails. Simply change the number of minutes next to the box marked “Check for new messages every __ minutes.” For total control over when you receive your mail, uncheck the box and manually hit send/receive whenever you like instead of setting an automatic interval.

 

Save your sent messages for future reference.

In Outlook Express: Tools-->Options-->Send
Check the box marked “Save copy of sent messages in the ‘Sent Items’ folder” to save a copy of all your outgoing messages. This leaves them available for future access, as well as documenting your outgoing correspondence. Remember that sent messages take up space on your computer, so you may want to manually delete older messages or those with large attachments.

 

Utilize your address book.

In Outlook Express: Tools-->Address book
Enter contact information for friends and family for quick retrieval when you compose messages. In some cases, your e-mail program may even automatically fill in e-mail addresses of your contacts after you type the first few letters in the address bar.

Socket Tech Talk is provided as a service to distribute general information concerning technology-related topics. Please consult your local computer expert for information specific to your situation.