Boost Your Productivity Using Rules and Quick Steps in Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is loaded with tools that can help tidy up your inbox, speed up repetitive tasks, and generally make your workday feel a bit more manageable. Two of the most helpful features are Rules and Quick Steps. They’re often overlooked, but once you start using them, it’s hard to imagine going back.

In this article, Mark Finney, Co-Founder and Facilitator at Keystroke Learning, walks through what Rules and Quick Steps can do and how you can use them to cut through the daily email clutter.

What Are Rules in Outlook?

I was recently working with a client on Microsoft Outlook, and we discussed that fact that, although many people use it daily, there are still loads of features that they are unaware of. It’s easy to just keep doing things the way we’ve always done them, but we miss out on some handy features that can save time.

Rules are automated actions Outlook applies to incoming or outgoing email. Think of them as little assistants sitting inside your inbox, quietly sorting, moving, flagging, and organising messages without you ever needing to lift a finger.

For example, you might want all emails from HR to go straight into an “HR Updates” folder, or perhaps anything containing the phrase “Monthly Report” should be marked as important. I use Rules to move newsletter articles to folders so I can read them when I have time. Rules can take care of these jobs automatically.

Why bother with Rules?

Because your inbox already has enough going on. Rules help you with the following:

• Reduce manual sorting
• Keep important messages front and centre
• Clear out distractions
• Maintain a tidy inbox (or at least pretend to)

And once you set them up, they just keep working in the background. (Though you will need to check them now and then to make sure they are up to date).

How to Create a Rule in Outlook

Let’s start with a simple example. Suppose you want all emails from your manager to go straight into a folder called “Manager Emails”. Here’s how to set that up:

Creating a Rule

1. Right-click a message from the person you want to create a rule for.
2. Select Rules.
3. Choose Create Rule.
4. Tick the condition you want to apply (in my example, I want the rule to apply to newsletters I receive from TechSmith).
5. Tick the action that should occur ( Move the item to a folder).
6. Select the folder you want the message moved to. ( In my case, the TechSmith folder).
7. Click OK.

Your new rule will run immediately and continue working for new messages.

Custom Rules for More Control

So far, so good! But it’s a pretty simple task to just drag an email to a folder, so not a big time saver just yet. What if you want something more advanced? For example, a rule with multiple conditions, exceptions, or actions that work together. In that case, the Rules Wizard is your new friend.

Using the Rules Wizard

1. Go to the Home tab.
2. Select Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts.
3. Click New Rule.
4. Choose a template or start from a blank rule.
5. Add your conditions (for example, messages with specific words, from certain people, or with attachments).
6. Add your actions (move, flag, forward, categorise, mark as read; there are lots to choose from).
7. Add any exceptions (“Unless it’s marked as High Importance”)
8. Name your rule.
9. Click Finish.

In this example, I’ve used the Rules Wizard to help me move emails with the words “TechSmith Newsletter” in the subject, to the TechSmith folder.

Tip: Name your rules clearly, especially if you plan to stack several together. “Move Monthly Reports to Folder” is much more meaningful than “Rule 1”.

What Are Quick Steps?

Ok, so Rules are handy, but something I hear from people all the time is “I’m worried that I might miss something important, because the Rule moved it to a folder automatically”. I would say that you need carefully about the way you use rules and consider using Quick Steps instead for some situations. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, it can be both.

If Rules are your quiet inbox helpers, Quick Steps are like action buttons. They’re perfect for tasks you repeat often, especially if they need multiple steps.

Quick Steps let you bundle several actions together and run them with a single click. The key difference is that Rules are automated, while Quick Steps are triggered when you need them.

Some examples:

• Move an email to a folder and mark it as read
• Forward a message to your team and add preset text
• Create a new email to your manager
• Categorise and flag a message in one go

They’re great for those little everyday tasks that chip away at your time.

Creating a Quick Step

Let’s build a “Move and Mark as Read” Quick Step:

1. Go to the Home tab.
2. Look for the Quick Steps group in the ribbon.
3. Click Create New.
4. Give your Quick Step a name.
5. Choose an action such as Move to folder.
6. Select the folder.
7. Add another action using Add Action, such as Mark as read.
8. Click Finish.

You’ll see it appear in your Quick Steps list, ready for immediate use.

In the example above, I created a Quick Step to do the following:

• Move items to the TechSmith Folder
• Mark as Read
• Categorise as Web Contacts

If I want more, I can keep clicking on the Add Action button.

Now, all I need to do is select one or more emails, and click on the Quick Step I created to have it run the tasks, so I have more control over the process.

More Ideas for Helpful Quick Steps

Here are a few favourites I often recommend during training sessions:

• Forward to Team
  Automatically forward emails to a specific group with a standard message like “FYI, or see details below.”
• Reply with Template
  Great for common enquiries. Create a Quick Step that opens a reply containing your preset text.
• Categorise and Flag
  Colour-code messages and add a follow-up flag in one click.
• New Email to…
  Create a button that instantly opens a new email addressed to your manager, assistant, or key client.

Quick Steps can be as simple or complex as you need. The key is picking those tasks you repeat every day.

Rules vs Quick Steps: When to Use Each

Here’s a quick comparison to help choose the right tool:

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

1. Order Matters
   Rules run from top to bottom. If two Rules conflict, the higher one wins.
2. Server vs Local Rules
   Some Rules run only when Outlook is open. If you work across devices, be mindful of that.
3. Too Many Rules Can Slow You Down
   Outlook has a limit to how many Rules you can create. Keep them tidy.
4. Quick Steps Work Best When Used Often
   If you set up ten and only use one, you might be missing the point!

Conclusion

Rules and Quick Steps are two powerful ways to tidy your inbox, reduce repetitive tasks, and get through your emails with far less effort. Once you set them up, your workflow feels smoother, faster, and a lot more organised.

Give them a try this week. Set up one new Rule and one new Quick Step and see how much calmer your inbox feels. And if someone says, “How do you stay on top of your emails?”, feel free to smile, sip your coffee, and share your new toys.