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12. What's the Secret for Coping with 100s Emails?

Rules - your automatic inbox secretary

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your emails automatically: filed, answered, forwarded, deleted, prioritised? A substitute pair of hands and eyes for you.

Let me introduce you to “Rules”, your personal inbox secretary. Rules could be a life changing experience for you. Well, if you spend a lot of time in your inbox it will be.
Every email (and most webmail programs) will have a Rule function.

For emails you send and receive, you tell Rules what to look for and then what to do with them. And it’s hands off for you saving you time and repetitive actions. You can have as many or as few as you desire. Rules won’t eliminate the actual number of emails you receive. They will help you prioritise and eliminate the unnecessary ones.

There are four steps to create each rule:

Set what to look for. For example from a certain address, not directly addressed to you, certain words in the subject line or the body of the email.
What to do with the email when the condition is met (move to a folder, forward to another person or your cell phone, answer it, delete it.
Specify if there are any exceptions.
Finally turn it on and yes – the best part of all – click to additionally run it through your existing inbox/sent emails.

See how wonderful rules can be? So How Do I Create One?

Select the Rule icon from your Toolbar (Outlook only)
or right click somewhere on the email and select create Rule
Or right click the email (Outlook Only)
Outlook on the Tools menu, click Rules and Alerts .Outlook Express on the Tools menu – click Message Rules – select Mail.
Click New Rule.

Follow the wizard from this point.

Bonus: Often rules can be found in webmail programs under options