Tame your computer - handle holiday traffic

With the holiday season upon us, doesn’t it sound tempting to set up a rule that will send all your email received during your time off straight into your bin? Far-fetched? The German company Daimler encouraged setting up the following automatic reply:

I am on vacation. I cannot read your email. Your email is being deleted. Please contact Hans or Monika if it's really important, or resend the email after I'm back in the office. Danke Schoen.

(See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28786117 if you want to read more about this novel idea.)

As it probably isn’t very likely you will be able to get away with this where you work, here are five top tips to prevent email overload upon your return

1. Switch on your Out of Office message a day early, so you can clear out your inbox before you leave.

• Click the File tab.
• Click Automatic Replies.

2. Forward your mail to a colleague.

• Click the File tab.
• Click Automatic Replies.
• Click Rules, and then click Add Rule.
• Tick the Forward check box and enter the name of your colleague who has agreed to keep an eye on your email in your absence.
•  If necessary, click on the Check Names button.
• Consider clicking the Delete check box. (You can always rummage through your recycle bin upon your return.)
•  Click OK three times.

3. Automatically move messages where your name is in the Cc box to a folder named when I have time to read this.

• Right-click any of your messages.
• Select Rules, Create Rule.
• Click on Advanced Options.
• Tick where my name is in the Cc box (11^th from the top).
• Click Next.
• Tick the first check box (move it to the specified folder).
• In the Step 2 box, click on the underlined specified link.
• Click on the when I have time to read this folder you created earlier or click on New to create a folder “on the fly”.
• Click OK.
• Click Finish.

4. Agree with colleagues so they all mark messages about meetings or events to expire after a specific date.

a)    Create the message as normal. (CTRL+N, anyone?)

b)    On the Options tab click on the dialog box launcher  (the tiny arrow) in the More Options group.

c)    Tick the Expires after check box.

Upon your return any messages about meetings or events that happened during your absence have a strike through the subject line and will be easy to spot for you to delete.

5. Send out a message to your main contacts one or two weeks prior to your holiday.

Wishing you all a relaxing, stress-free break.

26 July 2016

Karen Roem offers software training and support through her company Roem Ltd.  Contact her by email   (Karen@roem.co.uk) or visit her website at www.roem.co.uk

Roem Ltd is a Learning Collaboration approved supplier, having come recommended by Cambridge Network member organisations. Network membership means you automatically have the right to book on to any LC course at any time, while some categories of membership actually include LC training units.