Debbie Mayo-Smith: I didn't know Outlook could do that! Two top tips

Two quick tips to make Outlook work better for you. Photo / Thinkstock

Be in to win one of two copies of Debbie's Conquer Your Email Overload Ebook Just email Debbie debbie@successis.co.nz with the word conquer contest in the subject line. Winners will be announced in two weeks.

Who has time anymore to stop, and have a browse for time-saving features? Especially with emails continually piling up in your inbox. Okay. Let's look at two problems today and their easy and wonderful solution.

Problem! Retyping the same thing over and over and over again. Or your habit could be saving a draft or searching through sent items. STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!

Solution: Quick Parts (2007-13) Signatures in 2003.

Quick Parts is found in a new email, on the Insert Tab, Text Pane Group. Go, have a look. Quick Parts enables you to store anything with formatting preserved. Directions to your office. Disclaimers. Answers to frequently asked questions. With your thinking cap on - you can use them very cleverly. They're so easy to create. Open and type out what you would like to save as a quick part in an email. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Quick Parts. Click Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery.

Here is the 43 second video I made to show you.

By the way if you are still on 2003 (also 2007 does this) when you go to save 'paragraph', save it as a signature. You can paste multiple signatures one after the other in these Outlook versions creating the same outcome as Quick Parts.

Problems! Should I file this email in this or that folder? Shoot, I'm over my mailbox limit again. My emails are in all different folders for this one project. Where is that darn email!?

Solution: Search Folders Outlook 2003-2013

The capability and time saving function of this NEVER USED function is awesome. They are Virtual folders - meaning they don't hold email in them - they just show what you've asked them to look for. It could be a keyword - eticket; proposal; committee X. Or you can use their built in ones such as unread mail; size of email, flagged email.

It will then assimilate all the emails within your Outlook with that criteria and allow you to work with them in the search folder (even though they physically are stored in a different one). For example, under the search folder for size - it will group into enormous (over 5 megs) down. This means when you're over your mailbox limit - you don't need to search for the emails with big attachments.

Your Search folder function is the icon under the Sent folder. Simply right click it to create your first or a new one.

P.S. Did you see last week's column on must know Excel tips?
Be in to win one of two copies of Debbie's Conquer Your Email Overload Ebook Just email Debbie debbie@successis.co.nz with the word conquer contest in the subject line. Winners will be announced in two weeks

Written by Debbie Mayo-Smith, One of New Zealand's most in-demand speakers, trainers and bestselling authors. Debbie works with companies that want more effective staff. For more tips and business ideas sign up for her free monthly newsletter.