Dr. Roger Von Holzen Center for Information Technology in Education

1.Theres too much information coming at me too fast. 2.I get too many interruptions. 3.I dont have the discipline to be organized. 4.I have to keep everything. 5.It takes too much time to get productive. 6.I cant find what I need when I need it. 7.Organization cramps my freedom and creativity. 8.Im not good with technology. 9.Theres not enough time in the day. 10.Im not organized by nature.* 3

Physical locations used to capture actions, reminders, meeting notes, and where other people drop off tasks or information for you At office and at home* 2

Five basic collecting points you should have: A paper inbox A paper note pad and/or digital note pad Voice mail Outlook calendar * 7

1.Do it if it takes less than two minutes. 2.Delegate itif you can delegate a task by or over the phone, go ahead and get it done right away. 3.Defer it to one of your categories in the Task list or copy and paste it to a specific time on your calendar. 4.Delete it.* 8

Does this /document relate to an objective or project Im currently working on? Can I find this information somewhere else, such as on a web site or from a colleague? Will I refer back to this information in the next three months? Am I required to keep it? Is it a legal, HR or financial issue?* 9

Enables you to track information that does not require action, but that you want to keep to access later Store this type of information in: Contacts Outlook personal folders My Documents folders Filing cabinet folders* 10

Keep directions in Contacts Track conversations by typing notes directly into the Contacts Notes box The next time you talk to the person, their comments from the previous call are available in the Contacts Notes box* 11

Establishing a Personal Folder hierarchy based on your objectives supports a very clear focus. Enables you to be more discerning about the information you keep and the information you delete. If an doesnt relate to one of your objectives or categories delete it. Create a simple Held Items folder (an electronic junk drawer) to store unrelated messages such as account passwords, airline ticket information, etc. The same process should hold for storing paper documents in your file cabinet or My Documents.* 13

Store messages as Sent Items by forwarding them to yourself. Move your Sent messages to a Sent folder in your Personal Folders section. You could set up folders by quarters (Q1-10, Q2- 10) or by single year (2010). You can use the search function to locate old messages. Saves disk space in your account.* 14

1.On the Tools menu, click Options. 2.Click Mail Setup, and then click Data Files. 3.Click Add and select Office Outlook Personal Folders File (.pst) 4.Click OK 5.Click OK 6.You can either change the name or leave the Personal Folders title as is. You can also use the Outlook folder default location or select a different folder location. Information Systems and CITE recommend that you do not use the Outlook default folder location. Select a more easily accessible and intuitive folder location such as My Documents on your hard-drive or within your network storage folder. (See Creating a.PST File to Backup Your Outlook Messages.)Creating a.PST File to Backup Your Outlook Messages 7.Click OK and then click Close 8.Click OK 9.Right click on the Personal Folders title in the All Mail Items frame and select New Folder. 10.Type in the name of the new folder. 15

To get the icons at the lower left, click on the black option icon and select Show Fewer Buttons. Stored Sent messages Electronic junk drawer Current projects

Theres a 75% greater chance of a task being completed if its scheduled on your calendar rather than tracked on your Task list or in your head. To move an message to your Outlook Calendar, right click and drag the message to the Calendar icon and then release the click. Select either: Copy Here as Appointment with Text Copy Here as Appointment with Attachment Move Here as Appointment with Attachment Set the start date and time and length of meeting. Click on the Save and Close button.* 17

Set up Outlook to automatically open up a Control Panel that shows your calendar and your Task list. To create the Control Panel: Click Calendar and make sure the vertical Navigation Pane is open at the left side of the Outlook window. If its not visible, click View, and click Navigation Pane, Normal. Click View again, and click To-Do Bar, Normal. Click View again, and click To-Do Bar, Date Navigator. Repeat the previous step for Appointments and Task List Also on the View menu you can select Work Week to see an entire week of the calendar. 18

To make the Control Panel your default view when you open Outlook, follow these steps: On the menu bar in Outlook, choose Tools, Options. On the Other tab of the Options dialog box, click Advanced Options. In the General section of the Advanced Options dialog box, click Browse next to Startup In This Folder. In the Select Folder dialog box, click Calendar, and click OK. 19

When you accept interruptions, youre sending a message that says, Its OK to interrupt me. Solutionbook two hours a day of uninterrupted time in your calendar to get work done at work. If interrupted, ask people to come back later.* 21

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Dont avoid making a decision and leave messages where they are, only to be re-opened and re-read multiple times. When you open an you must make a decision about what to do with it and where to put it, dramatically reducing your volume. Delete messages you know youll never get to. Do not use your Inbox as a Reference Information Storage location. Move messages to your Personal Folders. Dont use the Archive Folder (its located on your hard drive and the messages are difficult to retrieve).* 24

Dont respond immediately to messages you receive. Responding right away throughout the day is ineffective and unrealistic. Maintain set times to go through your . Schedule uninterrupted time each day to process and organize your . Turn off your ding.* 25

Send less . Write clear s so they dont come back with questions. Unsubscribe from newsletters and subscriptions. Use the telephone when appropriate. Things NOT to do: clearing out all unread messages carelessly forwarding messagesprivacy and confidentiality issues may arise* 26