How to Manage Categories | MS Outlook 365

Summary

In this tutorial, Rod Davis from Burn to Learn demonstrates how to efficiently organize emails in Outlook 2016 using tags and categorization. He guides viewers on marking emails as unread, applying color-coded categories for different types of emails, and setting shortcuts for quick access. Davis also introduces the follow-up function, which flags important emails and tracks their completion. The video promises to enhance productivity and organization in email management.

Takeaways

• 🖥️ The video is a tutorial on how to use Outlook 2016 for organizing emails with tags and categories.
• 🔍 It demonstrates how to mark an email as unread for later review using the 'unread' tag feature.
• 📧 The 'categorize' function is introduced to color-code emails for easy identification and sorting.
• 🎨 Different colors can be assigned to different types of emails, such as sales, purchases, and accounts.
• 📚 The script explains how to add multiple color codes to a single email for further organization.
• 🔑 The importance of shortcut keys is highlighted, allowing for quick access to categorized emails.
• ✂️ Renaming categories for better clarity and understanding is shown as an option within the software.
• 📅 The 'follow-up' function is presented as a way to flag emails for tasks that require action.
• 📝 Once a task is completed, the flag can be marked with a check to indicate completion.
• 👍 The video encourages viewers to leave comments, subscribe, and support the channel for more content.
• 🔍 A preview of the next video is given, promising to teach how to find people and filter emails in Outlook 2016.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is teaching viewers how to organize and categorize emails in Outlook 2016 using tags and colors.

What is the first step to categorize an email in Outlook 2016 according to the video?

The first step is to open Outlook and click on the 'Home' tab, then go to the 'Tag' section on the right.

How can you mark an email as unread in Outlook 2016?

You can mark an email as unread by right-clicking on it and selecting 'Mark as Unread' from the options.

What is the purpose of using the 'Categorize' button in Outlook 2016?

The 'Categorize' button is used to assign a color to an email, which helps in organizing and identifying different types of emails easily.

What color is suggested for categorizing sales emails in the video?

The video suggests using the color red for categorizing sales emails, as sales are considered 'hot'.

How can you assign multiple colors to a single email in Outlook 2016?

You can assign multiple colors to a single email by clicking 'Categorize' multiple times and choosing different colors for each category.

What is the color chosen for semiannual purchases in the video?

The color chosen for semiannual purchases in the video is purple.

How do you access the 'All Categories' feature in Outlook 2016?

You can access the 'All Categories' feature by clicking on the 'Categorize' button and then selecting 'All Categories' from the dropdown menu.

What is a shortcut key in the context of Outlook 2016 categorization?

A shortcut key in Outlook 2016 is a keyboard combination that can be assigned to a specific category, allowing you to quickly access that category with a key press.

How can you create a shortcut key for a category in Outlook 2016?

To create a shortcut key, you select the category, click on the down arrow next to the category name, choose 'Shortcut Key', and then select a keyboard combination such as 'Control + F2'.

What is the 'Follow Up' function in Outlook 2016 and how is it used?

The 'Follow Up' function in Outlook 2016 is used to flag an email for future action. It's like a to-do list where you can see a flag indicating an important item that requires attention. Once the task is completed, you can click the flag again to mark it as done.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Organizing Emails with Tags in Outlook 2016

In this section, Rod Davis from Burn to Learn introduces viewers to the process of organizing emails in Outlook 2016 using tags. The tutorial begins with opening Outlook and accessing the 'Home' tab to find the 'Tag' section. It demonstrates how to mark an unread email as 'Unread' using a right-click option or by clicking on the 'Unread' tag. The video then moves on to categorize emails by color, using the 'Categorize' button. Different emails related to business files such as quarterly sales, semiannual purchases, and monthly accounts are color-coded to distinguish them easily. The process of adding multiple colors to signify different types of sales is also shown. The tutorial concludes with a brief mention of the 'All Categories' feature, which allows users to manage and customize their color-coded categories.

05:00

🔑 Utilizing Shortcut Keys and Follow-up Flags in Outlook

The second paragraph of the video script focuses on advanced organizational features within Outlook. It starts with the assignment of a shortcut key to a category, specifically 'Accounts Receivable', which can be accessed quickly using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + F2. The tutorial explains how to rename categories for better identification and introduces the concept of creating new categories with unique names and colors, as demonstrated with 'Accounts Payable' (AP), which is color-coded red and assigned the shortcut F5. The script then highlights the 'Follow-up' function, showing how to flag emails for follow-up tasks and marking them as completed. The video ends with an invitation for viewers to leave comments, subscribe for more content, and support Burn to Learn through Patreon. It also teases the next video, which will cover finding people and filtering emails in Outlook 2016.

Keywords

💡Outlook 2016

Outlook 2016 is a personal information manager from Microsoft, part of the Microsoft Office suite. In the video, it serves as the primary tool for demonstrating how to organize and manage emails efficiently. The script mentions using Outlook 2016 to label, categorize, and follow up on emails, showcasing its features for improved productivity.

💡Tag

In the context of the video, a 'tag' refers to a digital label used to categorize and organize emails within Outlook 2016. The script explains how to apply tags to emails for quick identification and retrieval, such as marking an email as 'unread' or categorizing it by a color code.

💡Categorize

The term 'categorize' is used in the script to describe the process of assigning a color code to an email for sorting purposes. It helps users to visually differentiate between types of emails, such as sales, purchases, and accounts, making it easier to manage and prioritize tasks.

💡Unread

'Unread' is a status that can be assigned to an email in Outlook 2016, indicating that it has not yet been read by the user. The video script provides instructions on how to mark an email as unread, which is useful for saving emails that require attention at a later time.

💡Color Code

A 'color code' in the video refers to the visual system used to categorize emails by color. This helps in quickly identifying the type or importance of an email. For instance, the script mentions using red for sales emails, indicating their urgency or significance.

💡Shortcut Key

The 'shortcut key' is a keyboard combination used to quickly access a specific category or function within Outlook 2016. The script demonstrates how to assign a shortcut key to a category, such as 'Control + F2' for accounts receivable, to streamline the process of accessing frequently needed emails.

💡Follow-up

The 'follow-up' function in Outlook 2016 is a feature that allows users to flag emails for future action. The script explains how to use this feature to create a visual reminder of important tasks, similar to a to-do list, and to mark them as completed once they are addressed.

💡Flag

In the video, 'flag' is used to denote a visual indicator that an email requires follow-up action. The script describes how to flag an email and how the appearance of a flag serves as a prompt to complete the associated task.

💡Accounts Receivable

'Accounts Receivable' refers to the money owed to a business by its customers. In the script, it is used as an example of a category that can be set up in Outlook 2016 with a specific color code and shortcut key for easy access and management.

💡Accounts Payable

'Accounts Payable' is the opposite of accounts receivable, representing the money a business owes to its suppliers or creditors. The video script uses this term to illustrate another category that can be organized and flagged for follow-up in Outlook 2016.

Highlights

Introduction to the tutorial on using Outlook 2016 for file organization.

Demonstration of the 'unread' tag function to mark emails for later reading.

Explanation of how to right-click to mark an email as unread and use the 'unread' red tag.

Tutorial on using the 'categorize' button for organizing emails by color codes.

Example of categorizing quarterly sales emails with the color red.

Adding different colors for different types of sales, like blue for house sales.

Categorizing semiannual purchases with the color purple.

Using the 'categorize' function to organize monthly accounts receivable with the color yellow.

Overview of the 'all categories' feature and customization options.

Instruction on how to add, rename, or delete categories and colors.

Introduction to the shortcut key feature for quick access to categorized emails.

Assignment of a shortcut key (Control + F2) for the 'accounts receivable' category.

Renaming categories for better organization and clarity.

Categorizing and renaming the 'monthly accounts payable' file with a new color and shortcut.

Explanation of how to use the 'follow-up' function to flag emails for important tasks.

Demonstration of marking an email as 'follow-up' and clearing the flag upon task completion.

Encouragement to leave comments and subscribe for more Outlook 2016 tutorials.

Teaser for the next video on finding people and filtering emails in Outlook 2016.

Transcripts

hi everybody Welcome To Burn to learn

this is Rod Davis you know there was a

time when you had to label or color code

your files manually so you could find

them at a later time in this video we

will show you how to do all of that in

just a few clicks of the mouse using

Outlook 2016 are you ready let's begin

open Outlook and click on the home tag

and over to the right you will see the

tag section now suppose you open an

email but you don't really have time to

read it because you're very busy what

can you do well let's see what the

unread tag function really can do let's

click on an email let's click on the one

from code academy now remember we don't

have time to read it right now so what

can we do about it first right click on

that email and options appear as you can

see we can scroll down and just mark it

as unread or and what I want to do is to

return to the tags and click on the

unread red tag and accomplishes the same

thing it preserves that email shows it

as unread so that when I have time I can

read

it now we're going to show you how to

use the categorize

button let's go to the business file

that we

have this is what we want to concentrate

on for this section and as you can see

we have several emails here we have a

email concerning quarterly sales another

one SE semiannual purchases and monthly

accounts receivable and monthly accounts

payable let's work with sales let's

click on

sales and then scroll over and click on

categorize

now a color drop- down box appears and

all we need to do is select a color so

for sales let's let's choose red sales

are

hot you know if you have different kinds

of sales and you want to show each type

you can add another color let's say that

this is the sale of of say houses let's

click on categorize again

and choose another color for to show the

sales of Cs let's choose

blue as you can see now two color codes

are indicated for quarterly sales blue

and red we can do as many colors as we

want but that's enough for that one for

the moment let's pick on another one of

these files let's say semiannual

purchases click on it and then click on

categorize

again and we're going to choose another

color since sales was red and blue let's

choose purple for semiannual

purchases and again if you want to

differentiate even further you could add

more colors but let's leave it there at

the moment so now we have have two of

our files colored let's go now to the

monthly accounts receivable

file and click on

categorize and choose another color

let's call this

yellow oh yes let's look at how this all

categories Works click on all

categories as you can see we have

several colors to choose from here here

as

well um let's let's choose a yellow

color for this

one and as you can see over on the right

you can do a lot with this you can

decide on a new one all together you can

rename it you could delete it you can

also uh add a different color if you're

not pleased with the one you have for

example just click on the down arrow for

color and now you see additional colors

if you should need them or want them

let's close that for

now and let's look at a very important

feature called shortcut key let's hit

the down arrow for

that as you can see there are several

options you can control plus F2 3 4 Etc

let's decide to have a shortcut by

choosing control

plus

F2 now as you can see in the window the

shortcut key is indicated for this

category this category being accounts

receivable so when we go into our our

Outlook all now we need to do is click

on contrl F2 and that file appears

automatically when you're comfortable

with it you click okay and then then

it's done or you can rename it let's

click on rename and show how to do

that so let's call it

accounts

receivable and then click on

okay and we've renamed it okay let's now

go to the monthly accounts payable file

click on

that and click on

categorize for that

one let's go to all categories

again and now for accounts pable let's

decide to give it another name so click

on

new let's call it accounts

pable AP for short and choose a color

let's let's change from what we did do

and go to the color

red this is what uh is suitable for

bills and let's give it a

shortcut right now we have none let's

give this one F5 that looks good click

okay and click okay again and there we

have now categorized every one of these

files with a color code very simple to

do just follow these steps we've done

ourselves a tremendous favor in

organizing our files by categorizing

them now when we open our inbox we'll

see that the colors of everything that

we've categorized and that tells us how

to find them we can click on the color

or click on the shortcut and what we're

looking for automatically comes uh to

you so now let's show you how to use the

followup

function let's pick on accounts

receivable let's click on it and then

click on the

followup

okay this is one way when we click on it

it Flags the email so click on flag the

message and there you see a flag appears

there's another way to do this for any

email you can s simply hover over the

flag and click on

it and when you do it is ready for

followup it's kind of like a to-do list

every time you see a flag you know it's

an important item and you need to do

something with it when you have done the

follow-up work you click on the flag

again and a check mark appears

indicating to you that you have done

that work hope this video was

helpful don't forget to leave a comment

below to let us know what you think of

this video also please help us by

subscribing and if you would like to

support burn to learn please visit our

Patron Page by clicking the link

below in our next video we will show you

how to find people and filter emails

using Outlook

2016 thanks for watching see you next

time