Make use of those red, orange and green Outlook icon flags!

At a recent meeting with a client, we were searching for an email in his presence and he noticed how we categorise emails in our Outlook inbox using the different coloured flag icons. He thought is was “cool” and remarked he had never seen the Outlook icons used in that form, so we thought we would share, in case it helps someone else.

So, what’s the big deal? Simply set the flag against any email as an indication of the email’s action status.

We only use the following three codes;

• Red Flag – no action required, just hold email for information for the time being
• Orange Flag – waiting for client feedback or response before action
• Green Flag – carry out request in the email asap

Once set, the flags can be sorted to give a quick overview of what needs to be done, or what needs to be followed up, Then simply change the email status flag as appropriate. When an email has been dealt with, just clear the flag and file or delete it. Remember to keep that inbox as empty as possible!