New Read Aloud Feature in Outlook

If you're like me, sometimes you just can't sit at your desk another minute. I heard a statistic the other day that since COVID we are spending more time sitting in front of our computers. Using Outlook's new Read Aloud feature allows us to have emails read to us allows us to stand up, stretch, maybe even walk around while catching up on email.

There are so many features that get rolled out in updates and if we don't know about the feature - we can't take advantage of it. This is one of those features. So, watch the video to see and hear how easy it is to use.

How to Use It

It's super simple. Select the email, click the button.

1. Select the email to read.
   
   
2. On your Home tab, look for the Read Aloud button.

If you don't see the button, you may need to enable it.

1. In Outlook, click File....Options...
   
   
2. In the dialog box, choose Ease of Access and make sure Show Read Aloud is checked and click OK.
   

Reply with Meeting

I'm on a role for super simple tips. This is another quick and easy tip - but a HUGE time saver if you setup meeting request with people you've been in email conversations with.

Have you used Outlook's Reply with Meeting button? It's awesome. In just a single click - you can respond to an email conversation with a string of people on it - and turn it into a meeting invite. The more people on the email - the more time you are saving. The other cool thing - it copies all the contents of the email into the body of the meeting including attachments. It also transfers over the subject line of the emails as the meeting title.

Scenario

You receive an email with 5 (or any number) other recipients in the To: or CC:  fields. The string of emails now merits setting up a meeting with these same (5) people. If you know this trick  - it's a simple click to generate a meeting invite. If not - you will need to create a new meeting request and add each recipient to the request. C...

Sharing Office Files as PDF's

Did you know there's a 1-click option to share files as PDF's? You don't have to save as PDF or convert to PDF and then share - just a single click.

It's so easy - I almost didn't want to do this tip but I've learned lately some of the easiest tips are the best and so many people just don't know these shortcuts.

Whether you are using PowerPoint, Word or Excel - it is now SO EASY to share files as PDF's. Although this isn't new - I've learned working with a few people lately - not everyone knows this little shortcut.

Emailing PDF's 

Whether you are in PowerPoint, Word or Excel, you can use the Share menu item to email a PDF version of the file in a single click.

1. While you're in the file, click File...Share...Attach as PDF
   
   
2. A new blank email will open up with the PDF version of the file.
   

That's it. SO EASY!! If you send PDF's - this is a huge time saver. I use it multiple times per week sending PDF versions of files and it saves so many steps t...

Save Time in Outlook with Quick Steps

What are the things you do everyday in Outlook? These are the low hanging fruit for saving time. Odds are you file some messages to folders, you create new emails to the same recipients, forward messages to the same people, among other things.

What is a Quick Step?

Quick Steps in Outlook is a new(ish) feature. In a nutshell - it allows you to automate common tasks. In Outlook - you likely have many repetitive tasks. Quick Steps allows you to save some steps with these common tasks and create a one-click button to do these things for you.

The Quick Steps are located near the center of the Home ribbon when you're in the Inbox.

Default Quick Steps

There are some default Quick Steps already setup for users. Some need customizing and some are ready to go without any further information.

Reply & Delete allows you to reply to an email and delete the original one in just a single click. This doesn't need any further information you can just use it...

Remote Learning...Now More Than Any Other Time

 Let's be honest - e-learning, remote learning, virtual learning, they've all been a thing for a long time. BUT, until we have a reason to learn remotely, a motivation to change and do it differently.....we won't and we don't.

Almost all of us are being challenged to work in new ways, in new environments, with new tools, with new office mates (can you say kids going to school? dogs barking?) and maybe even new hours. If we're being honest - it's hard - like really hard. We're not just working from home for a day - for some extenuating circumstance - nope - we have no clue how long we'll be doing this for. I don't know about you, but that's hard for me to wrap my brain around.

So, like it or not, you're learning new tools, in new ways for new reasons (baptism by fire?). 

So my recommendation is to take advantage of some of the extra minutes in your day to learn something. Something you've been meaning to learn, something you do...

Outlook: Delay Delivery

One of the things most of us do in Outlook is follow up on things via email. The Delay Delivery feature allows you to send a follow up email anytime, at the moment you're thinking about it - not have to remember (or worse yet forget) to do it later. This is a REALLY simple but extremely powerful time-saving tip. You can save time 2 ways, 1 - by remembering to do the follow up while you're thinking about what you want to say and 2 - because you so you don't have to remember and take time to do it later.

My scenario looks like this: I help someone with a solution to a software problem. I want to give them a couple of days or weeks to use the solution to see if it works. I know I want to follow up with them maybe in a few days, maybe a week but this becomes another "to-do" for me, something else I need to remember to do. Instead of scheduling something on my to-do list or putting something on my calendar, I setup an email and "delay-delivery" of it. There's a mil...

Setup These Outlook Rules if You Send Mass Emails or Setup Meetings

There are tons of rules and if you've been around the block and used Outlook for a while - you've maybe had some rules setup - like rules to file certain messages. I'm pretty sure you haven't heard of these. These couple of Outlook rules I'm going to show you are so helpful when it comes to decluttering your inbox and being efficient in Outlook.

Rule #1: Automatically File your Out Of Office Replies

Depending on how many emails you send and if you send emails to large groups of people - this can be life changing. Lots of people send mass emails inside their company and get 100's of our of office replies but even if you only send to groups of 5-10 you probably get a handful of Out of Office replies. They can be helpful when sending to an individual but when you receive large amounts, they can really clutter up your inbox. You can either file them and look at them at set intervals or just have them deleted.

1. On your
...

Search Folders in Outlook

Have you ever used a Search Folder in Outlook? Maybe you haven't even heard of a search folder?

What's a Search Folder?

A search folder has been a round for a few version of Outlook but the idea is to essentially create a saved search. It's a search folder, because it saves all your search results and basically combs your mailbox (all folders, inbox, sent items etc) to find messages that meet the search criteria you defined.

Why Should you Use a Search Folder?

Why should you care? Because this is an AWESOME, new way to "file" your messages. I say "file" in quotes because the best part about it is - you don't have to file messages between hundreds of folders, instead you use the "5 Folder" concept we discussed last week. If you didn't see that tip - check it out: Using ONLY 5 Folder in Outlook

So the cool part is you use the De-Cluttering method we discussed using the 4 D's. So when you file you don't need to scroll through hundreds of folders, instead yo...

Tuesday's Outlook Tip: Declutter your Inbox with ONLY 5 Folders...REALLY!!!

I know...I know....you're thinking "NO WAY, Kari doesn't understand. I literally have more than 7000 emails in my inbox and probably 250 folders." Oh but I do know. I've seen it all. Admins I've worked with that say things like - I know I have too many items in my inbox (15,000) no lie, executives that say, I don't like to file things because then I can't find them. Also true.  So stay with me....

Is one of your New Year's resolutions or goals to get organized? Mine is. Almost every year - this tip will help you get your email organized once and for all with a system that you can actually keep up.

Let me set this up and tell me if you can relate to either of these scenarios....

Scenario 1 - You can't ever find the messages you're looking for fast enough

You know you just saw that messages, you can't find it, you can't remember what folder you filed it in, you're clicking through folders, sorting and re-sor...

How many items are in your Inbox?

Truth be told - part of why I'm excited about this new Outlook Tip series I'm doing right now is - I need it. Do you have more than you should have? 

Experts say - your inbox should really have less than 100 items in it - and those 100 items should only be things you are either 1 - waiting on a response , 2 - actively working on, 3 - pending a reply that can't be done in a few minutes or more time to read 4 - following up on something delegated. If they don't belong in one of these categories - get them out of your inbox. Where?? That's for next week.

I'm guilty too - just like you - I let my inbox get away from me - but if you adopt some of these tips and the folder system (which I'll explain next week )- I promise it will be SO MUCH EASIER to get caught back up and get your inbox to a more manageable size.

The 4 D’s

During the time you have set aside to read your emails, you should process your messages by using the Four D's. Every NEW messages ...