Minding the details that matter most
Organize with Outlook
Fess up. If you’re like
a lot of business
people on the plan-
et (and almost ev-
eryone who attend-
ed the Technology
Jam Session in Seattle last fall),
you start your day by check-
ing your email on Outlook.
And then you regret it, be-
cause you end up fussing
around with “quick” replies
and putting out fires. Two hours
later, you want to check off
something on your “to-do” list
to show for all your effort, but
can’t—because all the important stuff
you wanted to accomplish is still sitting
there. What’s a business person to do?
Outlook was set up for the general
everyday user, not business profession-
als. The majority of Outlook users are
focused on sending and responding to
email messages, so Outlook has been
programmed to open on the email in-
box screen. Wouldn’t it be nice to start
the day viewing your game plan rather
than getting sucked into the reactive
world of email?
Microsoft Outlook is a software sys-
tem that can be used to create your dai-
ly agenda. It is a collection of tools that
allows you to see your calendar and
to-do list together, with easy access to
all other tools and storage folders. My
screen configuration, shown at upper
right, includes both my fixed time ap-
pointments and important tasks that are
subject to a more flexible schedule.
For the best screen view, you need to
make some basic changes in the Out-
look display (Step 1) and then make
that display your default setting (Step
2). The changes you make will be based
Outlook
2007
STEP 1:
outlook 2007:
1. Click on Calendar > Week
2. On the toolbar click View > Daily Task List
> Normal (tasks can be listed by start date
or due date)
outlook 2003:
1. Click on Calendar > 1 Day View
2. On the toolbar, click on View > Task Pad
(to display to-do list on the right side of
screen)
3. Find blue line between Task Pad and Calendar, click-and-drag left to display multiple monthly calendars.
4. On the toolbar, click on View > Task Pad
View > Active Tasks for Selected Days
STEP 2:
The next step is to make this
your default view. To change
this default setting in either
version:
Click on Tools > Options > Other
> Advanced Options > Startup
in this folder, then click Browse
and select Calendar.
Outlook
2003
on the version of Outlook you current-
ly use. (See sidebar.)
The game plan you create in Out-
look can even be printed as a hard copy
to take with you when you travel. You
have several choices of Print Styles af-
ter clicking on File > Print from the
Calendar. The Tri-Fold Style allows you
to view the Daily Calendar with your
Daily Task List and your choice of the
Weekly or Monthly Calendars.
If you use Microsoft Outlook tools
wisely, you will be more likely to stay
on track. Then, you can ensure that
your light is a result of the bright pros-
pects that begin to characterize your
day, not those pesky fires you were
extinguishing.
Jeffrey Rowe speaks to corporations and young adults about having a positive
impact on the world around them through their choices and actions. He is the
founder of Positive Impact Project, a non-profit organization teaching and
inspiring young adults to combine their passion and skills to help others.
Jeffrey also is a certified Priority Management trainer. Contact him at
865-712-2191 or jeff@jeffreyrowe.com.
