Hit C to categorize emails
As we all know, email has become an indispensable part of our lives. It’s where we communicate with colleagues, manage tasks, and organize our daily work. But let’s be honest, managing an overflowing inbox can be overwhelming. That’s where categorizing emails in the new Outlook comes into play, a simple yet powerful tool to regain control of your email life.
Whether you’re color-coding for projects, or creating custom categories for specific clients or topics, the flexibility of Outlook’s system caters to all your needs.
First, let’s talk about why categorizing emails is so crucial. Improved organization and enhanced productivity are just the tip of the iceberg. When you categorize your emails, you’re not just tidying up; you’re strategically positioning yourself for better time management and efficiency. It’s like having a personal assistant who organizes your desk, but for your digital workspace.
Now, let’s get practical. I’ll walk you through the steps and share some tips and tricks to make the most out of this feature.
Categories let you easily tag, label and group messages in Outlook on the web and the new Outlook. Choose from default categories or create your own and assign one or more categories to your messages. Categories are private to you, so that means other people won’t see the categories you assign.
To categorize emails,
- Select the email message or messages you want to categorize.
- Select Categorize from the top toolbar, and then do the following:
- To apply a category: Search for or select the category you want to use.
- To remove a category: Clear the check mark next to the category.
Simple right?
But Method 2 is simpler:
- Right-click the email message or selected messages, and then select Categorize from the list. Then, do the following:
- To apply a category: Select the category you want to use.
- To remove a category: Clear the check mark next to the category.
Now, here is a quicker trick if you are using Outlook on the web or the new Outlook, like me:
With one or more email messages selected, hit the key C on your keyboard and select the category from the list. You can even type the beginning letters of the Category name to make that even quicker.
When categorized emails become easier to search for example, click a category that acts as a filter and brings up all emails that are tagged with that category.
And if you find yourself using a few categories more than others, you can even set them as favorites for quicker access from the sidebar in Outlook.
Besides you can also color-code categories, rename and change colors, add/remove categories from Outlook. Categories you add in Outlook are available also as tags in the tasks app, To Do so you can tag and categorize your to do list.
So, categorizing brings much value in the form of Improved Organization, Enhanced Productivity, Better Time Management, Efficient Search and Retrieval, Customization and Personalization and Visual Clarity.
It offers a structured approach to handling daily communications, which is especially important in professional environments.
