Let’s face it, organizing your e-mail sucks. Just thinking about the number of unread e-mails that have come in while writing this post is making my left eye twitch! So, here are my top five tips & tricks to keeping my inbox under control and my project correspondence on track.
One: Always use the Project Name in the Subject Line
This is a pet peeve of mine. Maybe it’s because I like to search my inbox frequently, but I think the subject for every email should be the name of the PROJECT. Period.
I hate searching for that one e-mail that has that one detail drawing for a project that I need immediately only to find it after 20 minutes of searching labeled “RE: motorized drapes”.
Two: Use Folders & Sub-folders to keep your Inbox Organized
I LOVE folders in folders. This may be a little OCD of me, but I have my inbox organized by Main folders and then Sub-folders (sometimes even my sub-folders have sub-folders)!
For instance, under my “Projects” folder I will have a sub-folder for each project. The name of that project folder matches what is on our H-Drive (also known as our in-house server). and is identifed by Year, Project Number and Project Name.
1905- Lawless
With all of the project correspondence organized in a singular folder, it makes archiving a breeze! Just follow the steps here to Archive Outlook Folders.
Three: Use the Flag icon!
Flag any e-mail that requires your attention immediately.
- Do I need to respond?
- Do I need to create a detailed drawing?
- Do I need to set up a meeting?
By flagging the e-mail you are noting that you need to take action. That e-mail should not be filed until that action is complete. I also set up a custom filter to group the flagged e-mails separate from ordinary correspondence.
Four: Set up Group Contacts
Never forget to include a project team member on an e-mail chain again! Some projects have one point of contact and some have 50+. It’s hard to remember to include all the relevant parties when you are individually adding e-mail addresses, so at the start of a project create e-mail groups. Some of these groups may be consultant specific and some may be project-specific, but trust me, it will save you time when sending out project updates.
Follow the steps here to set up Group Contacts in Outlook.
Five: Periodically Clean out your Inbox!
Let’s face it, we’re not perfect and sometimes those e-mails in the general inbox pile up. Make it a point to clear our that general folder once a month! With the correspondence identified by the project name, it should be easy to search by project name and drag multiple e-mails into the project sub-folder! #easypeasy
Do you have any tricks on keeping your inbox organized? Let us know!