The right tool for Outlook can save your butt

In my neverending search for software that makes my life easier -- or at least less frenetic -- I came across an Outlook add-in last week I'm really liking. It's called SpeedFiler from Claritude Software. 

What SpeedFiler does is makes it easy and necessary to file your outgoing and incoming e-mail. And that may sound like it adds to your workload, but the reverse is true; I'm finding it much easier to get my inbox empty and that is a good GTD thing.

What SpeedFiler has done is changed how I deal with e-mail.  Before, I would get an e-mail, reply, copy myself on the reply and then file each of those in whatever folder I thought it should be.  Now, I reply and before my reply gets sent SpeedFiler pops up and lets me pick where to file my reply in and then the message goes on its way.  Because I can trust SpeedFiler to do this, I stop CCing myself on every message.  And because I can actually find folders, I worry a lot less about where things should be filed.

SpeedFiler - the product of a micro-ISV - has another important benefit -- it gives you the chance after you hit the send button to reverse course.  Yesterday, I was replying to an important e-mail, and in my nervousness I hit send before I typed anything.  SpeedFiler made and that embarrassing boo-boo go away.

I seldom gush over software but this one's a keeper.

Comments

[Matthew Cornell]

Great pointer, Bob. I think that every email program should include this feature. I found one for Thunderbird, and I haven't looked at Mail.app for Macs...