How to add week numbers in Microsoft Outlook 2010

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

I didn’t realise until recently that week numbers are a bit of a European obsession, which is why US-created software such as Microsoft Office tends to ignore them.

You had to jump through three or four hoops in Office 2003 and Office 2007 to add them (clicking Tools | Options | Calendar Options and then tickboxing “Show week numbers in the Month View and Date Navigator”), but fortunately Outlook 2010 makes it much easier.

Or at least, easier to explain. So, here are the three steps you need to add week numbers in Outlook 2010.

(more…)

How to keep on top of email

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

I admit that I’m a little obsessed by email. Not only have I previously blogged on how I use Outlook, I also wrote a feature on How to Master Outlook for PC Pro last year and interviewed the man behind Getting Things Done, David Allen.

Now David Allen is a man I admire greatly, and I’m sure there are thousands of people who have converted to his way of doing things with huge success. But he advocates a “system”, a complete change in your habits, and the brutal reality is that most people can’t change their ways. And that includes me.

Instead, I seem to have arrived at a way of doing things that can be best thought of as a kludge. It doesn’t always work and it has its faults. Sometimes I drown in so much email that I want to scream, and sometimes I forget things. But in my mind it’s a 20% of the effort with 80% of the result kind of approach, so for better or worse I share it here.

(more…)

The importance of being important

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

I challenge the world: has anyone actually found any use for the High Importance button in Outlook? Yet again I’ve received a message this morning marked with a little red exclamation mark, telling me the sender considered the message important.

But I don’t. It’s one of a long line of messages I’ve received this morning, and it ranks right there in the middle. I don’t know why I find this so annoying – the fact that someone I’ve never met has decided what’s important to me – but I do.

Am I alone? And can someone actually think of a positive need for the High Importance button? Let me know. It’s important.

Self-deleting sent emails

Monday, May 12th, 2008

I’m not sure if it’s the worst thing about being editor of a national magazine or the best thing, but I get many, many emails from readers every day. Sometimes they’re nice; other times they’re not. And sometimes they’re quite simply useful – such as this one.

“Hi, I am looking for a program for deleting (my) sent emails over a short period of time. I have heard of such programs, but I do not know if there is one out yet/name of it.

(more…)