Please hold my hand (Outlook related)

[HardCandyChristmas]

Today the year turns, and I have made the bold decision to move from 91 work e-mail subfolders to just 5!

Please tell me I'll never look back

[thekingfisher]

here's a handhold for you
Very Brave !

[Palavah]

I don't have any - the search function is good enough that having folders is counter-productive.

[HardCandyChristmas]

Thank you!

I'm already making excuses for why it should be 7 not 5 (keeping HR stuff separate?)...

But Outlook has an amazing search function, right

[HardCandyChristmas]

@Palavah

I don't have any - the search function is good enough that having folders is counter-productive.

I'm not that brave Palavah

[BashfulClam]

I agree with @Palavah, I have 1 folder for my pension stuff and that’s it. Search function is easier.

[BeBraveAndBeKind]

I have multiple folders but for next year I'm going to try filing by month received instead. I don't want to keep everything received in the IN box but, like Palavah said, the search function is good.

[LittleBearPad]

I used to have loads - I now have one. The search function is so much better than it used to be

[thekingfisher]

God I cant cope with search.... i neeeeeed to have things 'organised'

Having a separate HR folder good as long as you remember to 'cull' it regularly and only keep what is essential (HR Director here)

[chatwoo]

GO FOR IT

[Usernamenotavailabletryanother]

I have folders by priority:

Today
This week
This month
For info (i.e. never )
Archive (not even opening those)

[Schoolchoicesucks]

I'm with @palavah. Once went on a productivity training course which said exactly this. I've never filed an email since.

[FestiveStuffing]

Off topic, but does anyone else find that Outlook filters absolutely anything of any real importance into the junk folder?

[nosswith]

91 sub-folders! How on earth did you cope. Good luck OP.

[ErrolTheDragon]

91 is way too many but 5, IMO, may be too few.

[HardCandyChristmas]

@nosswith

91 sub-folders! How on earth did you cope. Good luck OP.

15 years working in the same place I guess

Anyway 'tis done

By priority:
Today
This week
This quarter
Keep (never to be looked at again but searchable if needed)
HR - as suggested will need to cull regularly

[FestiveStuffing]

I like your style. I presume there are rules that can be set up for automatic sorting rather than moving stuff manually? If so I shall give your method a go.

[ErrolTheDragon]

It's really easy to set up rules in outlook. Maybe too easy, OP?

[helloxhristmas]

I don't have any folders!

[CaurnieBred]

I made the decision to delete 95% of all my emails. They stay long enough in my sent/deleted boxes that I can search for them when/if needed.
Also use categories in my inbox, which is a bit like your folders

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

On my last day in work, I created a new folder for all the emails I hadn't been able to deal with, so it looked like I'd cleared my inbox

[ADMum20]

Those who don’t have folders... do you keep all your emails in your inbox?

Is this work or personal email? Or both?

[GivemeGinandTonic]

There’s an enormous difference between outlook old version, and outlook as part of Microsoft 365. They are night and day in my experience - it’s likely that people using the old Outlook find the search crap.

[filka]

people using the old Outlook find the search crap

I always changed the basic search icon in the ribbon for the advanced search - much better.

I do combine my sent items and inbox, but I wish I was brave enough to so what OP is proposing.

[HardCandyChristmas]

@ADMum20

Those who don’t have folders... do you keep all your emails in your inbox?

Is this work or personal email? Or both?

I'd like to know this as well...

How do you not miss stuff?

[supadupapupascupa]

You need a Done folder (don't need to look at again) and then one or two (I have one for charity I work with, one for hR stuff) and then I prioritise using flags.