I just ordered books about using Outlook "Take back your life!" by Sally McGhee and "Total Workday Control Using Microsoft Outlook." I couldn't decide which was best, so I bought both and figure I can give one away. I don't use Outlook for email, but I am going to have to switch anyway according to my IT, so it's perfect timing. I certainly didn't know you could turn an email into a task! I think I'll have IT guru switch my email while I'm waiting for books to arrive. This could be fun!!

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Oh, yeah, Hamster. When Outlook is your main email inbox, you'll be in it all the time and then you'll really derive the benefits from the calendar features and tasks. Good luck.

HFQ

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I use Outlook to record tasks and appointments. However, I almost always ignore them. I find the font on the reminders too small and the box too unobtrusive to really get my attention. I once tried a special program that created electronic Post-its that pop up with any font you choose and appear in neon colored boxes. I thought that would get my attention but I still just ignored or deleted them if I wasn't ready to take care of it. I just have no self-control with that kind of thing.

However, I have tried to block off a certain amount of time before meetings to prepare, using Outlook. I stick to that pretty closely because I know I've built in extra time. Often, I schedule three or four hours the day before and another three or four hours the day of. If I get caught up in something else and then remember that I should be preparing for the meeting, I allow myself to finish my task at hand and then move to the meeting prep. This has helped me a lot! I still need to work on blocking off time after the meeting to type out my meeting notes and create reminders of the things I said I would do in the meeting.

Also, I used to be an event planner (probably the most terrible job for an ADDer!) and I learned the value of checklists. When you prepare for a meeting, write down a list of all the handouts and items you need to bring with you. Schedule time in Outlook for at least 8 business hours before the meeting to gather the items. This will give you time to handle any problems that come up like a broken copier, collating copies, etc. For board meetings, I'm sure there is a standard list of things you bring every time. Make a template list with those items and then just add additional items to the list for each meeting. I create Event Lists and Reports for every event and meeting I manage. It's the only way I could survive! (Don’t forget to put pen, your nametag, etc. on the list as these are common items we ADDers seem to forget.)

A note on Outlook, you can set it up so that it opens automatically as soon as you log into your computer every morning. This ensures that I see my email and calendar first thing in the morning. Otherwise, I might not open Outlook for hours.

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