This document provides instructions for organizing an Outlook inbox using search folders to prioritize emails. It recommends creating three search folders - Priority 1 for emails only sent to yourself, Priority 2 for emails sent to yourself and others, and Priority 3 for emails where you are cc'd. Search folders allow filtering emails in the inbox based on criteria like the to/cc fields. This helps reduce the inbox to only the highest priority emails requiring immediate attention.

1. YOU ONLY NEED 3…

2. TO GOFROM THIS…

3. TO THIS…

4. JUST 3FOLDERS
TO MANAGE YOUR
MS OUTLOOK INBOX
USE SEARCHFOLDERS TO PRIORITIZEYOUR EMAIL

5. SEARCH FOLDERICON =

6. SEARCHFOLDERS SEGREGATE
THE EMAIL IN YOUR INBOX BASED
ON CRITERIA YOU SELECT

7. YOU CAN CREATE A SEARCH FOLDER
FROM THE MENU: FILE > NEW >
SEARCH FOLDER… OR USE THE
SHORTCUTCTRL+SHIFT+P.

8. SCROLL DOWN AND CLICK
ON
“CREATE A CUSTOM SEARCH
FOLDER”.

9. NEXT, CLICK “CHOOSE”
AND NAME YOUR SEARCH
FOLDER.

10. YOU ONLYWANTTHE SEARCHFOLDER(ANDTHE OTHERSBELOW)
TOLOOKDIRECTLYAT YOURINBOX,ANDNOTANY SUB-FOLDERS
YOUMAY HAVE CREATED.
DOTHIS BY CLICKINGONBROWSEFROMTHESUBSEQUENT
DIALOGUEBOX, THENUNCHECKTHE ‘SEARCHSUBFOLDERS’TICK
BOX.
NOTE:IF YOU ACCIDENTALLYLEAVETHE TICKBOXNEXTTO“SEARCH
SUBFOLDERS”CHECKED,OUTLOOKWILLSCANALLYOUREMAIL
FOLDERS.IF THIS HAPPENS,DON’TWORRY…JUSTGOBACKAND
UNCHECKTHE BOX.

11. PRIORITY 1:TO: ME ONLY:
THESE ARE THE EMAILS THAT ARE ONLY SENT TO ME. NO ONE
ELSE IS ON THE TO OR CC LINE. IF I DON’T RESPOND, NO ONE
WILL.
TO CREATE, SELECT ‘CREATE A CUSTOM SEARCH FOLDER’, THE
LAST CHOICE ON THE NEW SEARCH FOLDER DIALOGUE BOX.
NAME IT, THEN CLICK ‘CRITERIA…’. ON THE MESSAGES TAB,
CHECK THE ‘WHERE I AM:’ BOX AND SELECT ‘THE ONLY
PERSON ON THE TO LINE’ FROM THE DROPDOWN.

12. THEN ON THE ADVANCED TAB, SELECT
THECC FIELD (UNDER ADDRESS FIELDS)
AND SET THECONDITION TO ‘IS EMPTY’.
ADD THE CRITERIA TO THELIST AND
CLICK OK ON ALL THE OPEN DIALOGUE
BOXES.

13. PRIORITY 2:
TO: ME AND OTHERS:
THESEARE THE EMAILS THATARE SENT TO ME
AND OTHER COLLEAGUES.
SELECT ‘ON THE TO LINE WITH OTHER PEOPLE’
AND YOU’RE DONE.

14. PRIORITY 3: CC: ME:
FINALLY, THELOWEST PRIORITY EMAILS – THE
ONES WHEREI’M CC’D.
AGAIN, THIS IS EASY TO CREATE.
JUST SELECT ‘ON THECC LINE WITH OTHER
PEOPLE’ FROM THE ‘WHERE I AM:’
DROPDOWN.

15. 3 ADDITIONAL TIPSYOUNEED TO KNOW
ABOUTSEARCHFOLDERS:
1. SEARCH FOLDERS ARE FIRST CREATED
UNDER “MAIL FOLDERS, ALL MAIL ITEMS”. TO
MAKE ONE ORMORE OFYOUR SEARCH
FOLDERS A FAVORITE FOLDER, RIGHT CLICK
ON THE SEARCH FOLDER AND CLICK ON
“ADD TOFAVORITE FOLDERS”, ORDRAG AND
DROP THE SEARCH FOLDER INTO YOUR
FAVORITE FOLDERS (SEE SCREEN SHOT).

16. 2. WITH YOUR SEARCH FOLDERS CREATED AND
INCLUDED IN YOUR FAVORITE FOLDERS, YOU
NO LONGER NEED TO BE DISTRACTED WITH
YOUR OTHER MAIL FOLDERS.
CLICK ON THE CIRCLED ICON NEXT TO MAIL
FOLDERS TO MINIMIZE ALL SUCH FOLDERS,
ALLOWING YOU TO FOCUS ONLY ON YOUR
FAVORITE FOLDERS.

17. 3.KEEPIN MIND THAT EMAILSIN YOURSEARCHFOLDERSWILLALSOBEINCLUDED IN YOURINBOX.
THE MAINBENEFITOF SEARCHFOLDERS IS THATYOUNOLONGER NEED TOFOCUSSOLELY
ONYOURINBOX,YOUCANGO DIRECTLY TOYOURSEARCH FOLDERS BYORDEROF PRIORITY.
FOREXAMPLE,INSTEADOF200 EMAILSINYOURINBOX, YOU MAY ONLYHAVE 20 EMAILSIN YOURPRIORITY1
SEARCHFOLDER–THE EMAILSONLYSENTTOYOUANDNOONEELSE.
TAKEACTIONON THOSEEMAILSFIRST;THEN GO TOYOURPRIORITY2 ANDTHENPRIORITY3EMAILS.

18. 4. YOUWILL NOTICE I HAVE A FOLDER TITLED
“ARCHIVE” IN MY FAVORITE FOLDERS.
THIS IS WHERE I DRAG AND DROP ALL EMAILS I
HAVE READ AND NO LONGER NEED TO TAKE
ACTION ON.
ONCE I MOVE THEM INTO THIS FOLDER (OR ANY
OTHER FOLDER), THEY ARE ALSO REMOVED
FROMMY INBOX.

19. NOTE: BY HAVING ONE FOLDER WHEREYOU FILE ALL YOUR READ EMAIL,
YOU NO LONGERNEED TO SPEND TIME CREATING AND MANAGING
SEPARATE FOLDERS.
INSTEAD, YOU CAN CATEGORIZE YOUR EMAIL TO EASILY IDENTIFY
MESSAGES. TO DO SO, RIGHT CLICK ON ANY EMAIL. CLICK ON
‘CATEGORIZE’. IF YOU HAVEN’T CREATED ANY CATEGORIES, YOU CAN
CREATE THEM HERE AND COLOR CODE THEM AS YOU LIKE (SEE SCREEN
SHOT ON PREVIOUS SCREEN).