Hi Geoff, thank you for what you have taught me in Microsoft Outlook. I have managed to keep my inbox relatively low, considering the amount that continue to flow through. I have reduced folders considerably and now use the archive folder to file most things. This has become extremely useful. I continue to try different things and continue to learn more. Simon, Transport Manager, South Australia.
Thank you so much for sending this information to us. This Productivity with Microsoft Outlook training alone has been absolutely fantastic and I am already seeing improvements in my work from your small suggestions. Really looking forward to the upcoming Microsoft Outlook and MS Teams trainings. 😊 Jessica, Advocates USA, September 2023
Hi Geoff, thanks so much for the Productivity with Outlook Training. I am now using my To-list effectively and reducing my red flags. It’s been a challenge to break old habits but worth it. I also think the reduction in notifications has been a game-changer for me, and opening my inbox to my calendar view. Much learned. Thanks again. Melissa – Communications and Media. March 2023
Hi Geoff, firstly, thank you, 😉 the tips I picked up in the Outlook Productivity Training have changed my working life for the better. It has been amazing! I feel so much more in control of the work coming in and I’m not getting distracted by leaving my inbox open with the reading panel on. It truly has made such a difference. I will investigate other training you provide as I want to learn more 😊 Michelle, Industrial Relations, Melbourne. March 2023
Hi Geoff; a quick note to thank you for the Using Outlook Effectively training presentation today. You are an informed, engaging, and effective presenter. It was mind blowing to be introduced to program capacity that I was completely unaware of. The transformation of my inbox is radical – email content is available but without that incessant and distracting demand. It is workflow relief to schedule and mind as I start each new day. Roslyn, Environmental Health Officer, Melbourne. March 2023
Hi Geoff, your Productivity with Outlook course is one of the best I have ever attended. I am using many of your follow up tips. The logical way in which you convey information makes it very easy to understand. I also enjoyed your blogs, particularly the one about the 10 commandments. Cheers, Alice. DELWP December 2022
Hi Geoff, I just wanted to let you know that I undertook your training about three months ago and just prior to taking to taking 12 weeks parental leave. I am so glad that I signed up for the training and it could not have come at a better time for me, I was starting to feel very overwhelmed with my inbox and I was really starting to feel the pressure. The first job I did when I returned to work last week was to follow the guide that you provided us at the training to fully reorganise how I use Outlook, I can already feel the positive difference and for the first time in years I feel in control of my workload rather than the other way around. So thank you! – Ryan, DELWP (July 2022)
Hi Geoff, I really enjoyed the Productivity with Outlook (Online) training. I got so much more than I expected out of it. I have already reduced my 100 flagged emails down to 23 – I’m pretty proud of myself! I am also loving my new look Dashboard View…much better functionality. I will definitely be referring my colleagues to do this training in the future. Sharon – Local Govt Melbourne August 2021
Hi Geoff, the Productivity with Outlook training has made a tremendous difference to the way I work and in particular, how I prioritise things. I have turned off Message Arrival notifications. This has made a major impact, and is sort of the root problem solver. I am able to finish up what I am doing first before being interrupted by emails. Like you mentioned, if it’s urgent, they’ll call. And that’s absolutely right! My inbox at the end of the day is still around the same as it used to be, which proves that I am still getting to my emails by the COB, just in a more effective manner. Thanks again Geoff, huge changes in my work life!! Nerodia – Senior Conveyancer at All Hours Conveyancing June 2020
Hi Geoff. Firstly thank you for the training! It has changed my outlook life! Since the training I have been using outlook how you suggested (changing the visuals, using to do lists, using the 4D’s approach). I have noticed I am definitely more organised and able to remember to follow up things more easily. My inbox is no longer overwhelming and checking it is not a daunting task. I have also noticed I am spending less time in my inbox and more time doing work which has improved my productivity. Karmen – Planning Enforcement, Local Government Melbourne. July 2020
Hi Geoff, I just wanted to say thanks for the Manage your Outlook Inbox training last week. I’m managing emails 100% better. Using the to-do list in the email and calendar screen is a game changer! Also having the preview pane off is so much less distracting too. Following up on things has become quite effortless!!! At last, I don’t have that constant nagging feeling that I’ve forgotten things. Thanks again and I look forward to next Wednesday. Karen Bignell, Human Resources & Compliance Manager – Eslers Land Management. May 2020
Hi Geoff, everything is looking really productive in my neck of the woods. My To-Do Bar has been amazing. I’m using it and updating every it day. It is a wonderful way to stay on task, but even more exciting is that I can use it to remind me of things 3 months from now! Also turning off the email reminders has been amazing at limiting distractions – I worked on a task for 3 straight hours yesterday without stopping – a record for me I think. Thanks. – Evie Theatre Technician, City of Wagga Wagga. Nov 2019
This was very relevant to my current work situation. I gained many new tips working with Outlook. This will certainly help me with my everyday work life, making it easier to manage. Thank you. – Sophie – Local Government. NSW, Oct 2019
Hi Geoff, this course will improve my efficiency and has given me the confidence to use my computer to save time. It will change my life! Thanks. – Matt – Local Government, NSW, Oct 2019
Hi Geoff, as a result of the Productivity with Outlook Training I did with you, I feel like I have significantly increased my productivity and eliminated a lot of mind clutter which has in turn reduced work stress. I have implemented a lot of things from our session and my inbox is set up as we did in the workshop and the background is grey! I have also cleaned out my Help Desk mailbox and implemented processes – and let me tell you how much of a positive impact it has had not only on me but other team members. I have even been asked by my manager to organise the L & D Help-Desk!
I can now focus my energy/attention to one task better…I find what helps is I have eliminated the email pop ups, automatically archiving once completed. My mind is much more clear knowing that I am effectively managing my inbox and that the only emails in my inbox is what I need to attend. And as a result of managing/handling my emails there isn’t many! I don’t feel overwhelmed anymore by incoming emails. I feel a lot more confident in how I manage my time and inbox which overall affects my productivity and mood. Thank you. – Natasha, People and Culture, Local Government Melbourne, July 2019.
Excellent – everyone at council should have to take this course as mandatory training! – Alana, Moonee Valley City Council, July 2019
Thank you, Geoff, the Productivity with Outlook training has been so useful, it really has changed the way I work through emails. – Vannessa, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. July 2019
Hi Geoff, thanks for the follow up. I’ve moved over to the new world order and I’m loving it! I’ve kept my Outlook set up as per your training and I’m sticking with it! It’s great – it has made such a massive difference to the way I operate…I’ve set up my “Completed” email box and managed to reduce my million-and-one now redundant email folders to only 8, slashed my obsolete task list and even managed to keep the list of emails in my inbox to only those that fit in the viewing pane! And I haven’t been tempted (not even once 😉) to use the email reading/preview pane again…(that’s a big one for me!)
I spoke to the rest of my colleagues in my team and told them they *have* to do this training – it’s a game changer. Thanks again for all your advice. It was such a great session that’s had a huge impact on my productivity. Claire – Senior Planner, Local Government Melbourne. May 2019
Hi Geoff, thank you for the Productivity with Outlook training session, which (without wanting to sound OTT) was revolutionary to me! I have turned off all my notifications and my reading pane and am stunned by what a difference it has made to my productivity! I am now using the advanced search capabilities, in lieu of maintaining complicated folder hierarchies; love the tip you shared with us about finding related items; and I have taken to automatic colour formatting in my calendar like a pro! Looking forward to learning about more helpful practices, through your additional resources, to provide me with more hours in my day! – Carrie – Senior Asset Management Officer, City of Boroondara Melbourne. October 2018
Hi Geoff, I am having great success with the tasks. My inbox is well under control and usually only has a max of about 10 items in it (currently there are 6)! I do find myself moving some task dates back, however it is mainly due to waiting on another person. I am happy to report that my notification has been turned off to great success however, I do find that I need/like my email preview pane! I have set up some to junk and reading folder rules along with some conditional formatting for my inbox messages which is great but I do need to remember to go into my reading folder so have put a reminder in my calendar to do so.
My team have even started to implement some of my hints and tips around how I use my PC and are finding it a great help. I am even going to help someone who is very adverse to change and we are going to share his tasks so that I can add notes etc to his tasks so that he is up to date on what is going on (he works 3 days a week and I assist him at times).
I love the fact that you can keep everything in one place and not have to search for various emails to remind yourself where you are with tasks. My task list is quite extensive and I have some simple and very complex ones in there. The best thing is when I complete a task, I can go back and review it in my completed task section and not have to remember where I may have saved all the information (if at all) and the feeling I get when I have completed all my tasks for the day/week and am moving ahead of myself is AWESOME. Thanks again. – Jo Boone, Local Government Perth, October 2018
Hi Geoff, the biggest change I’ve implemented that has had an immediate impact is the use of tasks and removing the reading pane from my mail view. I find I’m only opening emails once and actioning them on the spot rather than previewing, thinking about it, coming back to it later. The other big impact has been turning off the pop up notifications. I didn’t realise how much of a distraction they were and now when I check my inbox I’m able to dedicate time to “processing” emails rather than having a quick, pointless preview. Thank you once again for running such a great course. – Rohan – City of Boroondara – August 2018
Hi Geoff, I found your training really useful, with some immediate improvements such as:
- Focusing on my Calendar to plan my day rather than my Inbox has helped me become more proactive/less reactive/more focused.
- Using my Task list to help me prioritise (and update it regularly) and linking it with my Calendar
- Using ‘search’ function to find emails in my sub folders, rather than constantly feeling guilty for not having time to tidy up my sub folders with all unimportant actioned emails that might be needed one day.
Thanks again for all your support. – Danijela – Hume City Council, July 2018
Hi Geoff, I can say that I am still operating my Outlook as it was set up with your help during the Productivity with Outlook Training course in April. In short, I’m really happy with the set up! The ‘to do’ list is an active part of my daily planning and it really is working for me, an absolute breath of fresh air that I truly see the benefits of using it. My inbox maintains around only 12 emails which is manageable. I still have the email pop up email reminder and reading pane turned off.
I am using my calendar a lot more now and I also have some rules set up which has greatly reduced the inbox with unimportant emails that I can view in another folder when I choose to.
Overall, I have received a lot of benefit from your course and will maintain my Outlook learnings from here on permanently. Thanks for your help, much appreciated. – Detective Sergeant – WA Police April 2018
Hi there Geoff, thank you for introducing the Task bar to me, I love it and will be using this for the rest of my life. Other than that, have slowly started to use one note and have now implemented my Calendar more to my everyday work schedule. Many thanks for showing me the way. – John, CSR Bradford. April 2018
Hi Geoff, I don’t know about anyone else, but your Productivity with Outlook Training has helped me tremendously. My email was always reasonably organised, but now, it’s amazing. I currently have five emails in my inbox (including this one), which is incredible seeing I used to have nearly 200. I’ve used colours in Outlook for many years, but have improved how I use the colours and other conditional formatting. I am now using the task list fully, so I know exactly what I have to achieve. Coupled with opening Outlook in the calendar (and leaving it open on a second screen) allows me to know what I’ve got coming up at a glance.
I use some rules, and started a new one to send certain emails to a different folder, but found this wasn’t working for me as I wasn’t noticing the email sitting there, so I’ve canned that one, but I can go back again should I want to later. All in all, it was a fantastic course, one which a previous student recommended to me and I’m grateful she did. – Steve – Sergeant, WA Police – Oct 2017
Hi Geoff. Wow! What a difference the Productivity with Outlook Training made for me… I was very excited to go back to the office and set up my outlook with some of the new things I had learned. So now my Inbox is colour coded so I only am interested in what is in it for me (we have a group email that we all get) so it depends if you’re on email duty. This is saving me valuable time in deciphering if I am to action the email. I have even created a template for the team to use. And have so many more that we are going to set up, then we are all on the same page and there is one source of truth. Sensational!!
I have recommended your course to others and have found it absolutely invaluable. – Colleen, Employee Services Officer. TAFE NSW July 2017
Hi Geoff, my life is forever changed lol. I have put into place a few of the things I felt would immediately make a difference and they certainly have:
- My calendar is far more organised with the colour coding
- I am being far more disciplined and not checking email every time one comes in
- I am assigning time to read and answer email and if I need to come back to something I am flagging it for my task list which has stopped me having to search for it every time.
- I am using the tasks much better and attaching the relevant documents needed for the task!!
- The reading folder is awesome and I am taking 30 mins every day to make sure that I read the newsletters and delete the ones that aren’t relevant instead of keeping them all
- I have started using notes which makes a difference to the amount of email I need to keep
- I am deleting heaps of old email where the information can be stored elsewhere
That’s all without having to go back to the productivity with outlook training manual. There are still some other things I’d like to try over the next couple of weeks. I really appreciate the time you spent with us. It was invaluable to me. – Helen – Coordinator NSW Health, May 2017
Hi Geoff,
I cannot explain how I did my job without using my to-do task list! I use it all day, I constantly flag emails for follow up and only ever seem to have 10 emails in my inbox. I do tend to move tasks about but at least things don’t get forgotten. My life has changed, I even use it at home! – Kylie – Local Government Administration
Hi Geoff,
Seems to be working very well for me. Since the course I don’t have any emails that I’ve received that are still sitting in my inbox and things are being actioned straight away. Also I am using the tasks tab quite regularly and I’m finding that I’m not forgetting things as much as before because items won’t go away until they are finished. Thanks for the help, it’s been very valuable. – Daniel , Team Leader in Local Government 2016
Hi Geoff. All is going extremely well here. I must say that that the Productivity with Outlook Training was the most useful training that I have ever done. The tasks have completely changed how I save and organise all the small contracts I look after. Thanks. – Phil – Surveillance Officer, Local Government. 2016
Good morning Geoff, the Productivity with Outlook Training was amazing – a big thank you. I have really focused on using the (Outlook training) manual each day to try and tweak & make improvements. I am currently in the process of “filing emails” with the target of only having a “screen” of emails by COB this Friday. The most powerful thing I have done is set “rules” for emails that clog my inbox, they are a nice to know, nice to be over and great reading etc. but not a priority. Having them sent straight to my reading file has certainly reduced the inbox nightmare I had. Thank you once again. – Craig – Head Teacher
Hi Geoff, thanks for following up. The most valuable thing I took from the Personal Productivity with Outlook training was the task list. It’s not something that I was using before and I have found it quite effective. I have been able to get more things done and it serves as a useful reminder for tasks that are not usually a part of day to day operations. It also helps me follow up on things that I have requested from people. – Ian Rice – Logistics