Outlook Done Button

A strategy called Inbox Zero centers around a "process to zero" approach to keeping your e-mail inbox empty. You can use the Inbox Zero strategy to save yourself from e-mail overload and significantly reduce the amount time you waste rereading e-mails and sifting through an overflowing, stale inbox.

Many of your e-mail messages can simply be deleted after you have read them, and other messages should be moved into specific folders for future action or reference. However, it is likely that the majority of your incoming messages simply need to be quickly read once and then moved out of the way into some kind of general "Done" folder. These are the messages that require no action and are not worthy of filing into any specific folder, but it would be unwise to immediately delete them.

Many e-mail applications make the process of moving read e-mail into a "Done" folder very easy with a single button click or keystroke -- not Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft has an amazing ability to make obvious and simple tasks become painfully convoluted and cumbersome. Fortunately, there is a way to

configure Outlook to enable you to "process to zero" without being forced to use the mouse to drag each and every message into a "Done" folder.

Follow the steps below to create an Outlook macro which implements a Done button. The first step guides you though creating a certificate for you macro so the macro will be "trusted" on you computer. Then you will create the macro itself and a corresponding Done folder. Lastly, customize the toolbar to add a button which runs the macro.

Steps:

A) Create a Personal Digital Certificate
Start → Programs → Microsoft Office → Microsoft Office Tools → Digital Certificate for VBA Projects → Your certificate's name: Personal Certificate → OK → OK


B) Create Macro from Microsoft Outlook
1: Tools → Macro → Macros...
2: In "Macro Name:" field, enter "MoveToDone" and click "Create"
3: Enter the following code into the VBA editor:

Sub MoveToDone()
  Set DoneFolder = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI"). _
     GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox).Parent.Folders("Done")
  For Each Msg In ActiveExplorer.Selection
     Msg.Move DoneFolder
     Next Msg
  End Sub

View/Download

4: Tools → Digital Signature... → Choose... → Select "Personal Certificate" → OK → OK
5: File → Save
6: File → Close and Return to Microsoft Outlook Office

C) Create a Done Folder
File → New → Folder... → Name: Done → Select Mailbox (top of list) → OK

D) Add Done Button
Tools → Customize... → Commands → Macros → Drag Project1.MoveToDone onto the toolbar → Context menu (right-click) for the new MoveToDone button → Set "Name:" to Done → Close


E) Enable Macros
After restating Outlook and clicking your new "Done" button, you will be prompted to allow the button to run.

Check the "Always trust macros from this publisher" option and then click "Enable Macros".

Now you can move a message from your Inbox into the Done folder with the "Done" button.

You might also find it valuable to use the "Outbox" as your to do list. If you need to take action on the e-mail, reply to the message even if you do not immediately send your reply. That way, your "Outbox" becomes your to do list.

Leveraging your Outbox as your to do list and using your new Done button, you can maintain an empty Inbox and focus on doing real work instead of suffering from e-mail overload.