Use Rules to Simplify Your Outlook Inbox

Tired of your cluttered, overstuffed Outlook inbox? Productivity Cafe's Susan Sabo says the path to inbox salvation lies in Outlook's rules feature, which you can configure to automatically direct new mail to designated folders.

Consider: You could route mail from your boss to a Boss folder, mail from ABC Company to an ABC Company folder, and so on. Once you've configured your rules, only stray messages (those without rules assigned to them) will land in your inbox, thus keeping it relatively neat and tidy. Just make sure to be diligent about monitoring your newly created folders for new mail; most of us are programmed to watch only our inboxes.

See the post for complete instructions on creating e-mail rules. It's quick and easy, and it could revolutionize your e-mail organization.