How smart desktop alerts can keep you alert
The regular reader of this blog will know that I recommend switching off Outlook's desktop alerts for all but really important messages. It's easy to do this by changing the settings in the 'When new items arrive in my Inbox' section in Tools > Options >Preferences tab > E-mail Options > Advanced E-mail Options. (A special prize should be awarded for the person who buried that option so nicely!).
Personally, I switch off everything except the 'Show an envelope icon in the notification area' choice. But then I use Rules (Tools > Rules and Alerts) to ensure I do get to see a desktop alert when something important arrives. Just create a rule that is set to 'display a Desktop Alert' in Step 1 of the rule creation wizard. Here's what I have decided currently warrants a desktop alert:
- Items marked 'high importance'
- Items with the word 'urgent' in the subject line (which some people use instead of the high importance switch)
- Items from my boss (or her boss or boss's boss etc)
- Out of office notifications (so I immediately know to choose another form of communication)
- Anything related to my top work priority or projects
I have a rule for each of these. And each of these rules also changes the flag colour of the messages so I can find them easily in my Inbox. Some rules also move the items to a different folder (for example, out of office notices which are useful to keep on file but unwanted clutter in my Inbox).
It's worth thinking about, and regularly revisiting, how desktop alerts can help you stay more productive. It's a shame that so many people tolerate the default behaviour (a desktop alert for every new item that hits their Inbox) then spend so much of their working day being distracted by productivity-sapping low priority messages.