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Despite forecasts that the use of email would fade out as a growing number of organizations turned to alternative, more collaborative communication tools, the use of email is still growing. The number of email users worldwide climbed to an estimated 4.6 billion in 2023, up from 4.4 billion in 2020.
The volume of daily emails sent and received has also experienced consistent annual growth since 2017, and this trend shows no signs of slowing. The global number of email users is expected to reach 4.85 billion by 2027, with daily email traffic predicted to surge from 361.6 billion in 2024 to 408.2 billion in two years.
In this expanding landscape, Microsoft Outlook has secured a significant foothold, commanding approximately 7% of the global email client market as of late 2024. Ranked third behind Apple and Gmail, Outlook experienced steady growth in 2024, according to Litmus, reflecting its enduring popularity among professionals and organizations.
But despite Outlook's robust features, the volume of emails sent and received each day can overwhelm even the most organized user. Some tips to help you implement a systematic approach to reclaim your inbox.
4 Features to Turn On in Outlook Today
Outlook offers multiple customization options to its users, but there are four features that can benefit anyone and any firm looking to take control over overwhelmed inboxes.
1. Organize and Categorize
One of the most powerful tools in Outlook is its folder and category system. Begin by creating folders that align with your key responsibilities, such as "Client Projects," "Urgent Action Items" or "Reference Materials."
Categories allow you to apply color-coded labels to emails for easy identification, and Rules allow you to automate how your incoming email gets distributed across folders. For instance, you can set a rul that sends all incoming emails from one person or company to a specific folder to automatically organize items by project or client.
You can access these rules under the aptly named Rules and Filters option in Outlook.
2. Notify and Schedule
Constant interruptions from email notifications can significantly derail productivity. Outlook offers users the ability to disable pop-up and sound alerts for all but the most critical messages.
In addition, you can schedule specific times during the day to check emails. Pair this with features like "Do Not Disturb" in Windows to maintain your focus.
3. Tackle Clutter
Outlook’s Archive feature allows you to store old emails without deleting them, keeping your inbox manageable. Use the Sweep tool to clear out redundant emails, and use the Search tool to easily locate items in your archive.
4. Collaborate
Shared mailboxes in Outlook can reduce the burden on individual inboxes by creating a team email environment. Instead of being the sole recipient of customer support emails, for instance, you can create a shared mailbox accessible by all members of the customer support team. This allows you to share the email burden across your entire team and ensures other people in the organization send relevant messages to the team as a whole, rather than one individual. It's also an efficient way to ensure all team members are kept in the loop and is especially useful when someone is on leave or vacation.
For anyone who wants to move past the basics, Avidian Technologies' Warren Stokes gets in the weeds of Outlook:
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Outlook Integrations: Helpful or Overwhelming?
Outlook’s integration with Microsoft 365 has made it a productivity hub, but its depth of features can lead to decision fatigue for users. Compared to minimalist platforms, Outlook is powerful but prone to clutter, especially with poorly managed folders and calendars.
To manage this, Damien Filiatrault, founder and CEO of Scalable Path, creates automated rules for managing and classifying repeating emails as a way to help alleviate the burden of email box management. But you can also use Quick Steps to let Outlook perform tasks you do often, like filing emails, with just one click.
Still, Filiatrault said, users should balance Outlook's automation features by manually reviewing flagged emails daily to ensure context and relevance are not lost.
Add-ins are great options as well. For instance, Microsoft FindTime streamlines meeting scheduling from within emails, and Trello for Outlook is excellent for converting tasks into projects seamlessly. But as a general rule, make sure third-party tools enhance, not duplicate, Outlook’s native features to avoid redundancy.
Filiatrault recommends three Outlook features to help you tame your inbox more easily:
- Focused inbox. This, he said, should be your first step since it separates messages based on their priority, making it easier for you to identify key or urgent emails. He recommends integrating it with the Rules feature, which helps in sorting emails by moving them from senders or containing some words into specified folders.
- Sweep. The Sweep function is an underutilized tool that allows you to take bulk actions on certain emails, such as deleting or archiving all messages from a sender. This tool is helpful in getting rid of unwanted promotional emails as well as older emails in a particular thread.
- Search folders are what Filiatrault describes as active filters. For example, creating a folder for unread emails from VIPs or messages flagged during the past seven days. Conditional formatting is equally powerful; customize it to highlight critical emails, like those from a manager or those with the word "Deadline." Actionable emails can be dragged into Outlook Tasks or the integrated calendar to block time for follow-ups.
Much of these features is likely to be supercharged in the near future, as generative AI takes hold in the enterprise. "AI’s growing role in email promises personalized prioritization and intelligent reminders,” Filiatrault said. "Features like Outlook’s suggested replies already save time. However, over-reliance on AI risks misplaced automation, making human review essential. Predictive filing and enhanced search will optimize workflows but require user oversight to ensure accuracy."
Related Article: Multi-Tasking Is a Myth: How to Reclaim Focus and Productivity
Can AI Tame Email Overload?
Richard Dalder of SureSwift Capital says the nature of email overload has significantly transformed in recent years, driven by an exponential increase in the volume of emails received daily. This surge has overwhelmed users' ability to process and respond effectively, particularly where remote and hybrid work models have blurred the boundaries between professional and personal communication.
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Achieving optimal efficiency in Outlook requires a balanced approach between automation and manual management, Dalder added. While users should utilize the many automation functions Outlook puts at their disposal, he also said that it is essential to conduct regular manual reviews to refine these automated systems and address unique or complex emails that require human judgment. "Periodically reassessing and adjusting rules and Quick Steps ensures they remain relevant and effective in changing email dynamics," he said.
He agrees that the future of email management in Outlook is set for transformation through advancements in AI and machine learning technologies, and believes these innovations promise several potential benefits, such as advanced prioritization of emails based on user behavior and content analysis, improved spam detection, automated summarization and intelligent scheduling derived from email content analysis. All of these, he said, could improve the user experience.
“However, potential drawbacks must also be considered; privacy concerns regarding AI analysis of personal communications may arise alongside risks associated with over-reliance on automated systems that could lead to missed important messages,” Dalder said.
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The Quest for Inbox Zero
While the rigid pursuit of Inbox Zero has evolved, its principles still hold relevance in managing information overload effectively, maintaining productivity and reducing cognitive load. To progress toward your ideal inbox, whether that's Inbox Zero or Inbox Minimal, Filiatrault emphasizes the importance of the 4 D's: Deferring, Deleting, Delegating and Doing — alongside daily practices such as archiving non-essential messages.
For Matthew Franzyshen, Inbox Zero is a mantra for combating productivity killers in today’s world. A clutter-free inbox supports an efficient workflow, whether achieved manually through email prioritization or with the help of third-party apps. Regularly clearing spam and categorizing messages are simple yet impactful steps in this direction.
Ultimately, Inbox Zero is not about having no emails; it is about maintaining control over priorities. By setting designated times for email management, leveraging folders and flags in Outlook and minimizing distractions by turning off unnecessary notifications, users can reclaim their focus and productivity. Whether through structured habits or smart tools, mastering Inbox Zero in Outlook is achievable and rewarding.