Weekly Computer Tip # 402
1 September 2013


Managing interruptions (Outlook 2003-2010)

Are you one of those people who cannot stop themselves from checking their email every time one of those notifications appear at the bottom right of the screen? Obviously, if you are expecting something important, that's fine. But if you need to concentrate on a task, why not remove the temptation and turn the notifications off.

Here's how:

In Outlook 2003-2007:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  2. On the Preferences tab, click E-mail Options, followed by Advanced E-mail Options.
  3. In the When new items arrive in my Inbox section, remove all relevant check boxes. (You don't really need to hear sounds, have your mouse pointer change, or display an envelope icon in the taskbar, do you?)
  4. Click OK three times.

In Outlook 2010:

  1. On the File tab, click the Options button.
  2. Click on Mail.
  3. In the Message arrival section, remove all relevant check boxes. (You don't really need to hear sounds, have your mouse pointer change, or display an envelope icon in the taskbar, do you?)
  4. Click OK.

Now just get on with your work!

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