Ask Unclutterer: How to use Entourage to manage e-mail
Reader Bev submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:
The company I went to work for in March has both Macs and PCs (me=graphic designer, Mac). The IT department has all of us using Entourage to keep us on a consistent system. I know that Entourage has features to help organize e-mail and create tasks, but I’m not using them yet. Help–please!
Bev, either you’re a plant, or you have the best timing in the universe. Last week, Microsoft arranged for me to have a phone call with Peter Walsh about Entourage for Mac. I’m not kidding. So, even though I’m not an Entourage user, I have a little more insight into the product than I did before the call.
For starters, Microsoft has fantastic training videos on their website to teach you how to get your e-mail, to-do lists, and calendar in sync. After watching the “Get started” video, choose from the other 11 videos in the left column under “Entourage 2008: videos.”
Peter Walsh is actually a fan of using Entourage as a home maintenance system, tracking everything from appliance warranties and finances to children’s schedules. “It’s a simple spreadsheet to manage all aspects of your life,” Walsh said.
He likes its comprehensive nature because in one place you can have your e-mail, calendar, and task/to-do lists. You can also color coordinate messages and calendar items.
For anyone not using Entourage, you can download a 30 day free trial of Office 2008, which includes the program. And, as Walsh said, “If it works, great. If not, move onto what works best for you.”
However, Bev, at work you don’t have much of a choice about the program that you use. So, learn all that you can from the videos and take advantage of the planning features in the program. Peter Walsh seems to like them, and that is an organized endorsement if I ever heard one.
Thank you for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Good luck getting your e-mail under control, and check out our other posts on e-mail management for non-program specific ideas.
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Posted by Erin on Jun 12, 2009 |
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9 comments posted
Posted by Cyrano - 06/12/2009
My boss made the switch to Macs a couple years ago. One thing that always struck me as odd is that Outlook has auto-archive and Entourage doesn’t seem to. Does anyone know if this is true?
I’m sort of a rookie IT admin, and since things don’t archive for him automatically, his mailbox clutters up our server (everybody’s mailbox is under 2 gigs, his is at 7 and counting).
Hope this isn’t too off-topic; I’ve googled around and haven’t found anything helpful. Was wondering if anyone else had.
Posted by Matt - 06/12/2009
I would really be interested in learning more about how Walsh uses Entourage for a home mangement system. Are there any sites or articles out there?
Posted by Jaclyn - 06/12/2009
You have my sympathy. Entourage is a horrible, bug-ridden program. Outlook 2007 is awesome, and Microsoft can only give us Entourage 2008? All Mac/Exchange users should have fingers and toes crossed that the Exchange support in Snow Leopard is worth a darn and we can go back to Mail and iCal.
Posted by Erin Doland - 06/12/2009
@Matt — He said he uses it straight from the box, so to speak (no third-party add-ons). He said his three favorite ways to use it are for scheduling (tracking multiple users), finances (keeping track of where the money goes), and health (meal-planning and workout tracking). Let me know if you have specific questions. He and I talked for about 20 minutes. I kept notes, so may have the answers you want in my scribbles.
Posted by Matt - 06/12/2009
He uses it for finances? Really? I’d love to learn how to manage your finances with Entourage. Thanks!
Posted by Imelda - 06/12/2009
I’ve been using Entourage at work for the last 2.5 years. It’s not he easiest application to use in searching for things. Such as the address book which you can’t separate first and last name. Searching can be a pain too for a specific word or email. It’s not perfect, but it’s what we have to work with.
I’d be interested too in the finance aspect of it. The reminders are good though.
Posted by Pat - 06/12/2009
Well, thanks to this thread I went to the Entourage mac page and looked up archiving. I’ve always just dragged mail boxes to the desktop to make an MBOX – however, with this method you lose any subfolders. I found out the hard way. ;-(
I see now that there’s a script that will export the subfolders.
For big projects with hundreds or thousands of email, I have lots of subfolders divided by topic.
The Entourage site also suggests using a separate log in identity for archives.
Posted by Erin Doland - 06/13/2009
@Matt — I went back to my notes … he talked about flagging e-mailed receipts (like when you order from Amazon and they send you a confirmation) all in one color. Then, linking them to entries in the database (I’m guessing he means Access, I didn’t get that specific in my scribbling). Additionally, you can set due dates for bills in the scheduling component. Put bill-paying on the to-do list tasks, too.
Beyond these suggestions, I didn’t take any notes. It looks like we went on to talking about health/workout tracking.
Maybe our readers with experience with the program can provide better advice?? I hope this helps!!
Posted by tex hooper - 06/23/2009
Entourage has a habit of erasing your entire Inbox every now and then. That really helps get rid of the clutter.
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