Manage Your Life with Outlook®: for Dummies®

Manage Your Life with Outlook®: for Dummies®

Released October 2008
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9780471959304

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Book description

  • An all-new guide that unlocks the secrets of greater Office 2007 productivity-a must-have for power users and everyone who would like to work more efficiently

  • Offers scores of tips, tricks, and techniques to boost productivity with the programs people use every day-Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint

  • Topics covered include dealing effectively with e-mail, effectively managing files, using and creating templates, reusing and remixing content, sharing and reviewing content, and efficiently managing time and scheduling

  • The CD-ROM and companion Web site offer podcasts of key productivity tips from the book

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Author
  3. Author's Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. How to Use This Book
    3. Foolish Assumptions
    4. How This Book Is Organized
      1. Part I: Preparing for Personal Productivity
      2. Part II: Making Outlook Your Key to Personal Productivity
      3. Part III: Taking Control of Your E-Mail Inbox
      4. Part IV: Developing Your Outlook Productivity Practices
      5. Part V: The Part of Tens
      6. Appendixes
    5. Conventions Used in This Book
    6. Special Icons
    7. Where to Go from Here
  6. I. Preparing for Personal Productivity
    1. 1. Planning for Better Balance between Your Work and Personal Life
      1. 1.1. "If I Only Had a Life ..."
        1. 1.1.1. Checking out some typical warning signs of work/life imbalance
        2. 1.1.2. Making work/life balance your number one priority
        3. 1.1.3. Imagining what work/life balance would look like in your life
      2. 1.2. Exploring Common Excuses for Remaining Unproductive
        1. 1.2.1. I'm just not an organized person
        2. 1.2.2. I'm just not good with technology
        3. 1.2.3. Not enough time to get it all done
        4. 1.2.4. I experience too many interruptions to be productive
        5. 1.2.5. I just don't do all that well with self-help systems
      3. 1.3. Outlook and Personal Productivity
    2. 2. Exploring Accepted Beliefs on Personal Productivity
      1. 2.1. When Organization Is King
        1. 2.1.1. Examining the relationship of clutter to productivity
        2. 2.1.2. Discovering why messy doesn't necessarily mean unproductive
      2. 2.2. When Time Management Is Key
        1. 2.2.1. Identifying your time traps
        2. 2.2.2. Mastering moment-by-moment management
      3. 2.3. Multitasking in the Mix of Personal Productivity
      4. 2.4. Harnessing the Power of Goals and Objectives
        1. 2.4.1. Exploring the importance of setting goals in achieving peak productivity
        2. 2.4.2. Exploring the importance of establishing achievable objectives
        3. 2.4.3. All you need is a good review
      5. 2.5. Flowing Like Clouds and Water
        1. 2.5.1. Doing tasks wholeheartedly
        2. 2.5.2. Appreciating the true goal of personal productivity
    3. 3. Surveying Some Popular Outlook Productivity Systems
      1. 3.1. Getting Cozy with FranklinCovey's Planning System
        1. 3.1.1. Understanding Covey's seven habits of highly effective people
        2. 3.1.2. Examining the importance of planning in Covey's time management system
        3. 3.1.3. Understanding Covey's Time Management Matrix
        4. 3.1.4. Checking out FranklinCovey PlanPlus software
      2. 3.2. Having Fun with David Allen's Getting Things Done Productivity System
        1. 3.2.1. Looking at the five stages of the Getting Things Done productivity system
        2. 3.2.2. Doing away with your to-do lists!
        3. 3.2.3. Checking out the Getting Things Done Outlook Add-In
      3. 3.3. Seeking Out Sally McGhee's Productivity Solutions
        1. 3.3.1. Understanding the stages of the McGhee Productivity Solutions (MPS)
        2. 3.3.2. Getting to know the Integrated Management System (IMS)
        3. 3.3.3. Checking out the MPS Take Back Your Life! 4Outlook add-in
      4. 3.4. Getting in Line with Linenberger's Total Workday Control System
        1. 3.4.1. Looking at the eight best practices of task and e-mail management
        2. 3.4.2. Checking out the Information Management System Outlook add-in
    4. 4. Defining Personal Productivity on Your Own Terms
      1. 4.1. Making the Most of Every Moment
        1. 4.1.1. Establishing your daily priorities
        2. 4.1.2. Appling some good old-fashioned 3D decision making
        3. 4.1.3. Anticipating interruptions
        4. 4.1.4. Getting it all down in writing
        5. 4.1.5. Too much information!
        6. 4.1.6. Keeping yourself ready for change
      2. 4.2. Finding Your Own Formula for Productivity Success
        1. 4.2.1. Knowing yourself
        2. 4.2.2. Considering productivity part of your self-fulfillment
        3. 4.2.3. Mastering your productivity tools
        4. 4.2.4. Getting yourself organized
        5. 4.2.5. Prioritizing your tasks
        6. 4.2.6. Always having a plan
        7. 4.2.7. Focusing on what you can do
        8. 4.2.8. Staying open to change
        9. 4.2.9. Avoiding information overload
        10. 4.2.10. Developing your interdependence
  7. II. Making Outlook Your Key to Personal Productivity
    1. 5. Mastering Information Management with Outlook
      1. 5.1. Making Outlook Your Personal Information Manager
      2. 5.2. Getting Really Comfy with the Outlook Window
        1. 5.2.1. Outlook's medley of menus
        2. 5.2.2. Outlook's trio of toolbars
        3. 5.2.3. Outlook's plethora of panes
      3. 5.3. Using Outlook's Medley of Modules
        1. 5.3.1. Dispatching any illusions about the functions of the Mail module
        2. 5.3.2. Scheduling some time for the Calendar module
        3. 5.3.3. Getting in touch with the Contacts module
        4. 5.3.4. Understanding the responsibilities of the Tasks module
        5. 5.3.5. Remarking on the utility of the Notes module
        6. 5.3.6. Recording the uses of the Journal module
        7. 5.3.7. Making short work of the Folder List and Shortcuts in the Navigation Pane
      4. 5.4. The Outlook Shortcut Keys You Need to Know and Use
        1. 5.4.1. Switching modules and views
        2. 5.4.2. Creating new Outlook items
        3. 5.4.3. Taking the shortcut keys out for a spin
    2. 6. Giving Outlook a Productivity Makeover
      1. 6.1. Changing the Outlook Startup Module
        1. 6.1.1. Changing the Outlook startup folder
        2. 6.1.2. Automatically launching Outlook each time you start your computer
      2. 6.2. Customizing the Outlook Toolbars
        1. 6.2.1. Modifying the contents of a built-in toolbar
        2. 6.2.2. Rearranging buttons on a built-in toolbar
        3. 6.2.3. Creating your own toolbars
        4. 6.2.4. Checking out a recommended toolbar configuration
      3. 6.3. Adopting a New Point of View
        1. 6.3.1. Customizing the current view
        2. 6.3.2. Defining a whole new view
      4. 6.4. Have It Your Way in Outlook Today
        1. 6.4.1. Making Outlook Today your home base
        2. 6.4.2. Customizing the appearance of Outlook Today
      5. 6.5. Setting Up Categories That Are Just Your Type
        1. 6.5.1. Using category lists in Outlook 2003
        2. 6.5.2. Using category lists in Outlook 2007
      6. 6.6. Tailoring the Look of Assorted Outlook Modules with the Organize Pane
      7. 6.7. Customizing the Module Buttons in the Navigation Pane
      8. 6.8. Adding Outlook Gadgets for Windows Vista
  8. III. Taking Control of Your E-Mail Inbox
    1. 7. Doing Your Initial E-Mail Inbox Housecleaning
      1. 7.1. Getting Ready to Do Your Inbox Housecleaning
      2. 7.2. Using the Mailbox Cleanup Feature
      3. 7.3. Rounding Up and Deleting Unneeded Messages
      4. 7.4. Archiving Messages in Your Inbox
      5. 7.5. Organizing the Messages You Need to Keep
        1. 7.5.1. Creating Inbox subfolders for wanted e-mail
        2. 7.5.2. Rounding up and moving e-mail messages into their respective Inbox subfolders
      6. 7.6. Living with an Empty Inbox
    2. 8. Doing Your Ongoing E-Mail Inbox Housekeeping
      1. 8.1. Keeping Your Inbox Spick-and-Span
        1. 8.1.1. Looking at various strategies for effectively dealing with new e-mail
        2. 8.1.2. Prioritizing and dealing with messages that require a response
        3. 8.1.3. Creating message rules to automatically organize some of your e-mail
        4. 8.1.4. Setting your e-mail options
        5. 8.1.5. Using AutoArchive to automatically clear out older messages
      2. 8.2. Backing Up Your Outlook Data Files
        1. 8.2.1. Copying your .pst data files to a new drive or disk
        2. 8.2.2. Restoring your backup .pst data files
  9. IV. Developing Your Outlook Productivity Practices
    1. 9. Creating and Sending E-Mail Messages Like a Pro
      1. 9.1. Composing Effective E-Mail Messages
        1. 9.1.1. Punching up the Subject line
        2. 9.1.2. Making good use of e-mail abbreviations
        3. 9.1.3. Composing concise and to-the-point messages
        4. 9.1.4. To Cc: or not to Cc: — that is the question
        5. 9.1.5. All about attachments
      2. 9.2. Creating Your Own E-Mail Signature
      3. 9.3. Tracking Your Important E-Mail Messages
        1. 9.3.1. Requesting a delivery and read receipt for a single message
        2. 9.3.2. Modifying tracking options
    2. 10. Using Calendar to Keep Yourself on Schedule
      1. 10.1. Keeping Up with the Calendar Module
        1. 10.1.1. Subscribing to and downloading Internet calendars
        2. 10.1.2. Navigating your Outlook calendars with the greatest of ease
        3. 10.1.3. Customizing the Calendar options
      2. 10.2. Adopting a New Calendar View
      3. 10.3. All About Scheduling Appointments and Events
        1. 10.3.1. Scheduling one-time appointments and events
        2. 10.3.2. Scheduling recurring appointments and events
        3. 10.3.3. Setting up a meeting and sending out meeting requests
      4. 10.4. Sharing Your Outlook 2007 Calendars
        1. 10.4.1. E-mailing your calendar
        2. 10.4.2. Publishing your calendar to Microsoft Office Online
    3. 11. Using Contacts to Stay in Touch
      1. 11.1. Adding New Contacts Like a Pro
      2. 11.2. Organizing Your Contacts
        1. 11.2.1. Eliminating duplicates in the contact records
        2. 11.2.2. Customizing the Contacts module's views
        3. 11.2.3. Adding contacts to a distribution list
      3. 11.3. Putting Your Contacts to Good Use
      4. 11.4. Exporting Contacts to Other Programs
    4. 12. Using Tasks to Successfully Stay on Top of Your Obligations
      1. 12.1. What Makes a Task So Special?
      2. 12.2. Task Management with the Outlook 2003 TaskPad
        1. 12.2.1. Adding a new task in the TaskPad
        2. 12.2.2. Selecting a different TaskPad view
      3. 12.3. Task Management with the Outlook 2007 To-Do Bar
      4. 12.4. Getting Productive with the Outlook Tasks Module
        1. 12.4.1. Removing completed tasks from your task list
        2. 12.4.2. Adding a new task from any module
        3. 12.4.3. Specifying recurring tasks
        4. 12.4.4. Assigning tasks to others
    5. 13. Using Notes to Capture Your Ideas
      1. 13.1. Making Outlook Notes a Routine Part of Your Productivity Practices
      2. 13.2. Creating and Organizing Notes
        1. 13.2.1. Customizing and printing your notes
        2. 13.2.2. Using notes to create other Outlook items
        3. 13.2.3. Creating notes from other Outlook items
        4. 13.2.4. Searching Outlook notes
        5. 13.2.5. Sharing your Outlook notes
      3. 13.3. Successfully Using OneNote 2007 with Outlook
        1. 13.3.1. Inserting Outlook meeting details into OneNote
        2. 13.3.2. Creating Outlook tasks, appointments, and contacts from OneNote
    6. 14. Using the Journal to Keep an Eye on Your Activities
      1. 14.1. Understanding How the Journal Can Help You Be More Productive
      2. 14.2. Making the Most of the Journal Module
        1. 14.2.1. Using automatic journaling
        2. 14.2.2. Changing the Journal view
        3. 14.2.3. Manually creating Journal entries
    7. 15. Outlook on the Go
      1. 15.1. Getting Outlook Data onto Your Mobile Devices
      2. 15.2. Sending Text Messages from Outlook to a Mobile Phone
      3. 15.3. Using Outlook with Instant Messaging
  10. V. The Part of Tens
    1. 16. Top Ten Personal Productivity Strategies
      1. 16.1. Know Yourself When It Comes to Productivity
      2. 16.2. View Personal Productivity as Part of Self-Fulfillment
      3. 16.3. Master Your Productivity Tools
      4. 16.4. Get Yourself Organized
      5. 16.5. Prioritize Your Tasks
      6. 16.6. Plan for the Future
      7. 16.7. Focus on What You Can Do
      8. 16.8. Stay Open to Change
      9. 16.9. Deal Tactically with Information Overload
      10. 16.10. Develop a Healthy Sense of Interdependence
    2. 17. Top Ten Outlook Productivity Techniques
      1. 17.1. Utilize Every Single Bit of Outlook
      2. 17.2. Organize Your Inbox
      3. 17.3. Keep That Inbox Near Empty
      4. 17.4. Send Really Effective E-Mail Messages
      5. 17.5. Make Outlook Today or the Calendar the Center of Your Productivity World
      6. 17.6. Share Your Calendar As Needed
      7. 17.7. Do Terrific Task Management
      8. 17.8. Take Note of Every Idea
      9. 17.9. Use Automatic Journaling to Evaluate Your Productivity
      10. 17.10. Take Outlook with You Wherever You Go
  11. A. Personal Productivity Resources
    1. A.1. Print Resources
    2. A.2. Online Resources
  12. B. Personal Productivity Self-Assessment
    1. B.1. Envisioning Work/Life Balance
    2. B.2. Beliefs about Personal Productivity
    3. B.3. Short-Term Productivity Goals
    4. B.4. Long-Term Productivity Goals
    5. B.5. Personal Productivity Strengths
    6. B.6. Personal Productivity Improvements
    7. B.7. Time Traps

Product information

  • Title: Manage Your Life with Outlook®: for Dummies®
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: October 2008
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9780471959304