Having worked as a corporate admin and office all-rounder for many years and then wearing all the hats running Thrive, I know first-hand just how overwhelming an inbox can become. If you're juggling multiple projects, tasks, and incoming emails from various departments, team members, suppliers, and contacts, staying on top of things can be a truly uphill battle.

But what if I told you there's a way to take control of your inbox, and make it work for you, not against you?

Let's take a closer look at how setting up rules in Microsoft Outlook can help you to save time, minimised distractions, and boos productivity.

What are Outlook Rules?

Think of Outlook rules as automated instructions for your inbox. You create conditions that tell Outlook that it needs to start a specific chain of actions - like moving emails from specific senders into designated folders, flagging important messages, or even auto-deleting low-priority messages. It's like having your own personal email assistant, sorting and managing your messages behind the scenes.

Why you should be using Outlook Rules

Save Time

When you set up rules, you're cutting out the time you spend manually sorting emails. For example, if you regularly get newsletters or team reports, you can implement a rule to automatically mark them as read, and then move them to a specific folder. You'll spend less time sorting, and more time dealing with the emails that actually need you to DO something.

Reduce Distractions

Rules help keep your main inbox clear of clutter - those non-urgent emails that pop up all day long, pulling your attention from the things you should really be working on. You'll also be able to scan your inbox for critical messages more quickly, which means fewer interruptions when you do jump into your inbox.

Keeps things tidy

Now, this one does dip into a little bit of mindset, but stay with me! Keeping a clean inbox is key to feeling in control of your workload. Remember how good it feels when you have a clean desk and empty physical in-tray? The same applies to your emails! By directing emails to other folders, or automating the actions for you, you can reduce the clutter and easily locate information as and when you need it. Efficiency plus!

How to set up rules in Outlook

The best part of working with rules in Outlook is how straightforward the process is - just a few clicks and you're there! You can create rules based on keywords, of even whether there's an attachment or not.

➡️  Go to the HOME tab in Outlook

➡️  Click the dropdown next to RULES in the 'Move' section

➡️  Choose CREATE RULE

A dialog box will appear, where you can set your criteria and actions - for example "move messages from [Sender] to [Folder].

Once you've put all the pieces together, click OK, and the rule will start working for you.

To see a step-by-step walkthrough of how to create your first rule, check out my YouTube video on setting up Outlook rules.

BONUS TIPS for using rules in Outlook

Try combining rules

Layer up your rules to create more complex workflows. For example, move emails with specific words in the subject line to one folder, while also flagging them for follow-up.

Use Conditional Formatting

You can add another layer to your rules with colour-coding your emails that meet certain criteria. This is a fab way to spot key messages with ease!

Turn off notifications

This one is helpful for LOTS of reasons, but when it comes to using rules, if you turn off the desktop alerts it not only helps you keep on task, but means you aren't distracted looking for an email that's already been dealt with and moved by one of your rules.

Is it worth it?

In short... absolutely! Setting up rules in Microsoft Outlook might take you a few minutes to start with, but the time you save over the long run really adds up - quickly. 

Creating an organised, streamlined inbox is totally achievable. If you're ready to be more productive AND less stressed by your daily email load, then you can't afford NOT to be using rules!