For example, I have a folder for every major project I'm working on. OutlookPower has a deadline each month, so I have one called OutlookPower, into which I file general correspondence. I also have a folder for each month (for example, 05-2006 OutlookPower) into which I store information related to that month's issue. Outlook allows you to place folders within folders, so I could easily put all my issue-related folders inside one master folder.

I have a Pending folder that prevents me from forgetting to follow up on anything important. I have a folder for each employee I manage, their projects, and their status reports. I have one for company updates and correspondence with David. I even have a Humor folder for the funny email I get from people and a Personal folder for email from family and friends. Getting all that humor mail is no longer funny, so I'm seriously thinking of just filtering it all into my Deleted Items folder.

Keep in mind that you can always use Outlook's Search functions (and even the free Microsoft Lookout tool) to help you locate information if you don't remember where you filed it.

Here's a privacy tip: Don't leave Outlook open on your desktop if your folders contain information that you want to keep private and inaccessible to others.

Filing mail in a folder
To file mail in a folder, open a piece of mail in your inbox, send a reply if needed, and click the Send button. Outlook will send the message, returning you to your inbox and highlighting the message you just replied to. All you have to do is drag the message into a folder. Note that the item has disappeared from your inbox because Outlook has stored it in the folder you selected.

After you drag the item into a folder, you might discover that you don't have an appropriate folder for storing your mail. If this happens, you can always create a new folder. Outlook will automatically alphabetize the new folder. Drag the message to that folder, and Outlook will store your message there.

Diane Poremsky is the president of CDOLive LLC and a Microsoft Outlook MVP. She's author of Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours (Sam's, 2003) and coauthor of OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide). For questions or suggestions for future columns, write her at outlook@cdolive.com.