Outlook Tasks To The Rescue

If your like me, you have a million things to keep track of every day. Things can have a tendency to slip through the cracks. I use Outlook's Tasks module to keep me on track.

Tasks can be created several ways. The simplest is to go to the Tasks module and click the New button. The Subject is the task itself. "Create Blog Entry for SSGI Blog". The Due Date is when the task must be completed by. (Cool - Try typing "Next Friday" in the field) The Start Date is when you want Outlook to start reminding you that this task must be done. You can put notes about this task in the work area section. You can also categorize your tasks to make them easier to sort. For instance, I have a category called phone calls. If I view my tasks by category I can see all the phone calls I need to make in one section. I have another category called Personal which allows me to view only Personal Tasks if I want. Once tasks have been created Outlook will pop up Alerts to remind you that a task is coming up or is over due. You can also see your task list in many different views including several of the Calendar Views which combine your appointments and tasks that are due for the day.

Using the Tasks module is as simple as that and it can take a lot of your mind. There are other very useful things you can do with tasks. You can setup recurring tasks. So in my Blog entry example perhaps I want to create a new Blog entry every second Tuesday of the month or once a month. Recurring tasks allow you to set the schedule and then will remind you every time the task is due. Very Useful! You can also delegate or Assign Tasks to others. The other person will receive the Outlook Task from you in an email message and it will be added to their Outlook Task list. Very cool! I will get into more detail for both of these options in another Blog. For now give it a shot! Try the task module for the next 3 weeks. I'll bet you can't live without it after that.

Have an Outlook compatible PDA or wireless phone? You can sync your tasks and appointments and have them with you at all times. Create and manage your tasks from anywhere.

Where's The Subject?

Like many people, I receive a lot of Email each day. Some comes from vendors and some from Clients. At home I get a fair amount of personal Email. For some reason some of the people that send me Email don't put anything in the Subject Line of the Email message. Now, I know that mistakes can happen and the send button can be pushed by mistake, but I find the same senders to consistently do this.

There are several reasons to make sure you put something meaning full in the Subject Line. The first is the fact that many people and / or spam filters will simply disregard Email without a Subject Line. Next, it may make your message fall way back in the line if someone has a lot of Email and the Subject Line is what helps them determine what to read first. And finally it's just plain good Email policy.

Repeat after me ....."I will always include a meaningful Subject Line in my Email messages"

You're Gonna Need A RSS Reader

I spend time everyday reviewing about 55 blogs. Some of these blogs are technical stuff, some are business related, and some are food related (yes I love to cook!). Not every blog is updated daily and some of the technical or business blogs are updated several times per day (Tom Peters is crazy, sometimes 6 or 8 updates in one day!) It would be a time consuming nightmare to try to keep up with all of this. Enter the RSS Reader. RSS (Real Simple syndication or one of 3 other definitions) Readers act like little robots constantly monitoring my increasing number of blogs and websites that I visit regularly. If new content is posted to any one of these, my RSS Reader picks it up. I don't have to go hunting for the latest scoops!

There are several types of RSS Readers, stand alone readers and Outlook integrated Readers are the most common. I use both types, I have a stand alone reader (FeedDemon Feedburner)at home and an Outlook Integrated Reader (Newsgator) at the office. Internet Explorer 7 expected later this year is rumored to include an RSS Reader also (I read that on one of the Microsoft Blogs).

Many websites and most Blogs (Including all of mine) have RSS feeds. If you find that keeping up with certain blogs or websites for your business or personal life is useful, you really should look at installing some type of RSS Reader. At the very least you will then be among the first on the block to know when I have posted the next SSGI Tip here!

Welcome To My New Blog!

I guess you must have given in to all my nagging about checking out my latest Blog! I must have given you the correct address too because here you are! This Blog will be used to help you use your computer and programs better. I will post how- to items, tips, and just general information as regularly as I can. I will steal other people's ideas often. Please feel free to comment on anything I post and better yet pass on some tips and tricks of your own.

Have fun and remember to learn something new today!