August 2005

Tech Tools and Tips

Kathie M. Thomas

by Kathie M. Thomas

This issue, I want to discuss the merits of using a Filter or Rules Wizard in your email program.  Probably the most widely used email program is Outlook but you may be using a different program – hopefully it will have the ability to do some or all of these things for you.

As a VA you’ll find yourself working for more than one person and they will be located in many different areas.  You may also find yourself working on more than one project for that person.

Along with your client support, you may belong to several online forums, perhaps some user groups for different software, receive newsletters relating to things you’re interested in and so on.

So how do you handle all the email that comes in?  Well, you can use the Rules Wizard (in the Tools menu for Outlook) to help sort through the email as it arrives.

You already know that bolded email is unread, regular text is read mail.  So, you can tell your email program to sort the email as it comes in and distribute it to different folders, knowing that if you see a bolded number in brackets beside the folder name, there is unread mail.

Suggested Uses

I have a Contracts folder and inside that folder, one for each client.  Some clients have more than one project operating, such as regular newsletters, workshops and seminars, or other items, so I can get email that comes from that client to automatically sort into the relevant folder. Bounce backs (undeliverable email, full mailboxes, etc.) sort into a separate folder for my review also.

Try to keep your inbox down to as few items as possible, and drag and drop items between folders as needed.

The Rules Wizard tool enables you to keep things orderly without wasting time sorting items. It can also permanently delete annoying junk mail that comes through regularly. It cannot read graphic text but can look for certain words in the subject or body of the text and send it to a junk mail folder for you to leisurely review.

Duplications

On occasion, it may appear that you’ve received duplicate emails. However, one email might meet the criteria of 2 of your rules, and it therefore duplicates the email and files it into two different folders.  If that’s the case you might need to think about whether the rules need to be re-set with different wording or criteria, or whether the double filing suits your needs.

So, now you know more about using the Rules Wizard for your email program, spend some time exploring and experimenting so that you can get your email and inbox into a semblance of order.

 About the Author

Kathie M. Thomas, AFAIOP, MVA, ASO is founder of the Australian based network “A Clayton’s Secretary” and has over 30 years secretarial/administrative experience and a background of working with computers for over 18 years.  She can be contacted via her website at www.vadirectory.net.