People who use MS Outlook can be wasting 20-40 minutes every day because they make these 5 time-wasting mistakes (among others). See how you can eliminate them.

1. Productivity Breakthrough
5 of the biggest time-wasting mistakes
Outlook users make – and how to
eliminate them.

2. • Email
• Meetings
Most people use Outlook just for…

3. • Delegate and follow up.
• Keep track of interactions with others.
• Manage action reminders.
• Keep useful reference information.
• Use it as business productivity tool.
There’s so much more!

4. 1. Not using a system to manage their
workflow. A SYSTEM that Saves You
Stress Time Effort Money.
2. Use inbox as a “To-do” list.
3. Waste time when forwarding
attachments.
4. Start Outlook in the Inbox.
5. Allowing distractions to put them in
reactive mode.
Mistakes Outlook users make…

5. Time-wasting mistake 1: Not using a system
Mistake Solution
Have no system when processing email.
They hop from one mail to the
other, then right click on the mail they
just left and mark it as unread to remind
them to do something about it.
Us the “Map For Action” thought
process (next slide).
• A time proven system of efficient
workflow management.
• PROCESS email – don’t “check” or
“read” them.
• After processing your Inbox is….
empty!

7. Time-wasting mistake 2: Use Inbox as a To-Do list
Mistake Solution
Leave emails in Inbox and use it as their
“to do” list.
See the same emails over and over and
have to think about them every time!
Process email using the Map for Action
(previous slide). Do not move from one
email to the next before asking ALL
questions!
• No stress about full Inbox.
• Well organised.
• Everything in the right place.

8. To create a Task from an email:
Drag and drop the email to Tasks and customize

9. Add To Do Bar to Calendar with Tasks grouped by
category – take control of your work in progress.

10. Open the category of the kind of actions you want to
see the reminders for (e.g. phone calls) and they
appear as if by magic.

11. When you create a reminder, “slow down to speed up” and take
a bit of time to enter all the information you think you might
need at the time of the call. This will then be available instantly
when you open the reminder.

12. To copy/move an email into a new appointment in your calendar
right-drag-and drop it from the Inbox on the Calendar
icon and voila!

13. Time-wasting mistake 3: Forward attachments
in an inefficient way.
Mistake Solution
If they only want to send an
attachment to an email to someone,
they forward the email and delete
everything except the attachment.
(Or, horror of horrors, they save the
attachment to My Documents, create a
new email and attach the document!)
Wastes time and can make mistakes by
not deleting everything!
Drop the attachment on the “Mail”
icon.
• No mistakes.
• Saves time!
• Easy!

14. Forward an attachment

15. To send just a section of an email (or any text) highlight what
you want to send and drag-and-drop it the email icon.

16. Time-wasting mistake 4: Outlook opens in the Inbox
Mistake Solution
Start Outlook in the Inbox.
“Fuzzy.”
Overwhelmed.
(Coming up in a few slides!)

17. The “fuzzy” way to start your day
in immediate overwhelm.

18. Time-wasting mistake 4: Outlook opens in the Inbox
Mistake Solution
Start Outlook in the Inbox.
“Fuzzy.”
Overwhelmed.
Open Outlook in a view that shows you
a summary of your “work in progress”.
• Calendar and To-Do Bar in one
window.
• Clarity.
• Control.
• Direction.

19. Rather start your day in this view
which gives clarity and control.

20. Time-wasting mistake 5: They receive notifications when a new
email arrives - this is mostly a distraction and takes focus away
from the task at hand.
Mistake Solution
Leave “Notification” when new
messages arrive to “On”.
Get distracted every time a new
message arrives.
Wastes at least half a minute per new
email.
Turn it off! (Steps depend on Outlook
version.)
• Process email when YOU want – not
when they land in your Inbox.
• Batch process email (treat your
Inbox like your post box!).
• More in control.

21. As you will understand, this presentation just
touched the tip of the “How to use Outlook as
business productivity tool” Iceberg.
Thanks for your visit!

22. • Click here to get a free article “The 7 mistakes people
make when they want to increase their productivity
– and how to avoid them.”
• If you think that your company could benefit by
transforming Outlook from just an email and meeting
manager to a business productivity tool, send an
email to gerrit@productivitypitstop.co.za with “Info
for Productivity Breakthrough for Outlook users
please” in the subject line.
Free article and information

23. You’re already on your way to a
personal Productivity Breakthrough!
Hamba kahle!
Safe travels!
Trap mooi spore!