The Ignore feature lets you opt out of a busy conversation that doesn't apply to you, but be careful. Figure A Disable these distracting features. Trying to work with those constant interruptions is madness. Uncheck the Play A Sound and the Display A Desktop Alert options in the Message Arrival section ( Figure A). To disable this feature, click the File tab, choose Options in the left pane, and then choose Mail. If you stop what you're doing to check for that important message you're waiting on, your productivity goes down quickly. It will distract you every time new mail arrives. That's why I recommend that you disable the Desktop Alert. Most of us (all of us, if we're honest) can't do two things at the same time and be good at both. SEE: 50 time-saving tips to speed your work in Microsoft Office (free TechRepublic PDF) 2: Leave Desktop Alert enabled Move messages to a temporary holding folder for awhile if you like, but don't depend on the Deleted Items folder. Trying to retrieve an email from that folder is similar to trying to retrieve the Christmas present you accidentally threw out with the wrapping paper, after the garbage truck has left the neighborhood. If you're part of a large organization with IT support, someone probably deletes the contents of that folder regularly, and without your knowledge. The Deleted Items folder stores emails that you won't refer to again. 1: Use the Deleted Items folder as storage Note: This article is also available in the free PDF 30 things you should never do in Microsoft Office. Some will apply to the browser edition and some won't. I'm using Outlook 2016 (desktop), but you can apply these items to earlier versions.
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