Outlook Today
When starting Outlook, the default setting is to open Outlook in the Inbox. There is an organizational tool called Outlook Today that provides users with a glance at their Calendar, Tasks, and Messages. The view can be customized to show different views of the Calendar, Messages, and Tasks. Today's tip will show users how to set Outlook to open in the Outlook Today view and how to customize Outlook Today to meet users special needs.
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Accessing Outlook Today
If Outlook Today is not visible when Outlook opens, click on the very top level of your mailbox. Typically it will have your name listed, as in the image below.
This will bring up the Outlook Today default view. At any time users can navigate to the Outlook Today screen by clicking on their Name in the All Mail Folders pane.
Customizing Outlook Today
Begin by clicking on the Customize Outlook Today button. It is usually in the upper right or lower right corner of the window. The Customize Outlook Today screen provides users several options for customizing the Outlook Today view. To have Outlook Today appear when Outlook starts, put a check in the "When starting, go directly to Outlook Today" checkbox.
Next users can select the folders to display. The default folders are Inbox, Drafts and Outbox. The number of messages listed for the Inbox will include unread messages only. Also, the way Outlook is configured, in 99.9% of cases the Outbox will always display 0. Some users may choose to not display the Outbox because it really doesn't provide any information.
The Calendar setting allows users to show from 1 to 7 days, including the current day. If a user's calendar is really full every day, it might be more helpful to display just 2-3 days. The default is 5 days.
The Tasks setting provides several options. Tasks can be shown for the current day or all tasks can be shown. They can also be sorted by due date,start date, etc. If a user does not use Tasks, it isn't possible to turn off Tasks, but when choosing the Style there is a Style that will put the tasks on the far right or on the bottom, so it is not taking up real estate on the Outlook Today screen.
The next option is to select the Style that works best for you. There are 5 styles. The default style is shown above. The other 4 options are shown below:
Not all users have Outlook start with Outlook Today, however it can be another useful productivity tool.