Create Your Spreadsheet

Create your spreadsheet, and determine which cell will contain your pull down list. For this example, we’ll create a simple task list. Each task has three possible statuses, Not Started, In Progress, or Completed.

Create your list

Next, you will define the options to appear on the drop down list by entering the values you want, and giving the range a Name. You can create the list on the same worksheet in a hidden area, or on another worksheet. For this exercise, We’ll use the second worksheet.

Click on Sheet2, and enter your options.

Select your options, and select Insert|Name|Define. You see the Define Name dialog box.

Name the range (for example, TaskOptions) and click OK. You can now easily reference this list from your spreadsheet.

Create the Dropdown

Return to Sheet1. Select the cells that will contain your drop down list.

Select Data|Validation. You see the Data Validation dialog box.

From the Allow list, select List.

In the Source field, enter = followed by the name you gave your range of cells. (For example, =TaskOptions.)

Click OK.

Now, when users click on a sell in that column, users will be able to select from the options you have defined.

The first thing we did was to set her computer up to use the Outlook Today view as the default mail view. This keeps her inbox, her tasks, and her calendar in view.

Using Outlook Today

Outlook Today is a one-page overview of Outlook. It shows you what’s on your calendar, your tasks, and in your mailbox.

To display Outlook Today, click on the Mailbox folder in the Navigation Pane.

You’ll see the Outlook Today view.

All of the information shown on this page is live links; you can click on an email message to read it, complete or add new tasks, and quickly go to the calendar.

Next, we’ll set up which Tasks to view on Outlook Today. Click Customize Outlook Today.

You see the Customize Outlook Today dialog.

In the Tasks section, select Today’s tasks, and select how you want the tasks sorted (I like Importance then Due Date, but use what works best for you.) Then click Save Changes.

Adding an Email to Your Tasks

When an email arrives that you want to follow up on, drag the email message to the Tasks button in the Navigation Pane.

You’ll see a new Task with the subject of the email as the subject and the body of the email will appear in the body of the task. Make changes to any of the other fields (for example, you may want to set the due date to the date you want to follow up on the email.)

Then, you can delete the email message.

Mark a Task Complete

On the task list, if the Complete field appears you can check the box to mark it complete.

Or, open the task and enter 100% in the Complete box.

Flags

Flags are little flag icons that you can attach to your email messages. In addition to showing up quickly in your mailbox, you can search for flagged messages, or add reminders to them so they pop up in front of you when you need to follow up.

Set up your color scheme

This step is actually optional, but since Outlook provides you with six different colors, why not use a different color for each thing you need to track? For example, I use red if need to call, blue if I’m waiting on a response, and yellow for things I need to follow up on after a few days.

Set up a Custom Menu so you don’t forget your scheme

If you do set up a color scheme, you may want to set up a custom menu that shows your flags with names so you can remember how your scheme works.

1. Right-click on any toolbar and select Customize from the pop up menu.
   You see the Customize dialog box.
2. Make sure you are on the Toolbars tab, and click New.
   You see the New Toolbar dialog box.
3. Enter a name for your toolbar (say, MyFlags) and click OK.
4. Drag your toolbar where you want it positioned.
5. On the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab. In the Categories area, select Actions. You’ll see the available actions on the right in the Commands area. Scroll down until you see the flags.
6. Drag the red flag to your new toolbar.
7. Right click on the red flag in your new toolbar, and select Image and Text from the pop up menu. This will change the toolbar to show both the flag and the name of the flag. Currently the flag’s name is Red Flag, and you’ll want to change that.
8. Right click on the red flag again, and change the name entry for the flag to something meaningful to you. (The & in the name lets you access the option by using a keyboard shortcut.)
9. Add all the flags you want, then close the Customize dialog box.

You should now have a toolbar like this:

As long as the toolbar is open, I can quickly flag a message by pressing the buttons on this toolbar, or use Alt- followed by the underlined character in the name. (For example, to flag a message as Call Back, I press Alt-C.)

Add a Flag to a Message

To add a flag to a message, you can:

1. Right-click the message and select Follow Up from the pop up menu.
2. Select the desired flag color.

Or, press Insert when a message is selected to apply the default flag.

Or, use your new toolbar.

Then go ahead and file your messages. Don’t worry, they might be out of sight but they’re very easy to find again.

Find Flagged Messages

The easiset way to find your flagged messages is to use the For Follow Up Search Folder. It shows you all the flagged emails, grouped by color. Once they’ve been dealt with, either use Flag Complete or Clear Flag to remove the flag and drop them off of your view.

Or Set a Reminder

For me, the problem with just flagging emails is that it requires me to go and look for the flagged messages periodically. And when my schedule gets crazy, that may not be as often as it should be. So, I add flags with reminders. Right-click on the message and select Follow Up|Add Reminder. In the Flag for Follow Up dialog box enter the color flag you want to use, and the date and time when you want the reminder to appear.

When that day and time appears, a reminder pops up with the subject of the email on that date and time. Click on the reminder and it takes you right to the email.

No More Forgetting

Using flags you can keep from losing sight of your email messages, without an inbox full of email.