Guest Author - Chris Curtis

Outlook has some wonderful features to help manager your workload. Everyone uses Post-it Notes on the job and around your home because you can stick them anywhere. Outlook has a computer answer to with its note feature. Users complain that although there are uses for the notes feature in Outlook, they are not as effective as the post-it note because you have to open Outlook to see them and that take effort. NOT true!

You can put an Outlook note right on your computer desktop to help you remember the task or phone number or what to pick up for groceries tonight before going home. Just use this simple technique to put it out there. Once it is on your desktop, Outlook does NOT have to be open for you to see your little yellow (or whatever color you chose to make them) sticky note.

• Open Outlook and navigate to the Notes component.
• Create a new note by clicking on the New Note button on the Outlook toolbar.
• Type your note.
• Size your note by stretching the borders – to do so, hover over the triangle in the lower right hand corner of the note until you see a double pointed arrow. Left Click, hold the mouse key down and drag diagonally.
• Close your note by clicking on the Close X in the upper right hand corner of the note.
• Minimize your Outlook window to a smaller size so you can see your desktop and still view the notes items in the Outlook window.
• Left click and while holding down the mouse key drag the note you want to put on your desktop out of the Outlook window onto the Desktop area. You will see a shadow of the note with a little plus sign indicating that you are creating a copy of the note. Let the mouse key go.

A copy of the Outlook note is now visible on your desktop. Outlook does not have to be opened on your computer for the Desktop note to be visible. After the note has served it purpose, simply close the note on your desktop by clicking on the Close X in the upper right hand corner of the note. It will disappear from the desktop but remain in the Notes component of your Outlook program. If you no longer need the note, delete it from Outlook.

One technique I use when I need a lot of notes handy on my desktop and I want to cut down on the clutter, I create a Notes folder on my desktop and file them all in the folder. When I need to look at my notes, I just open the folder to see them.

Try using this technique the next time you need a constant reminder.