Productivity secrets in Microsoft Outlook 2007

Search all your Microsoft Outlook 2007 folders faster. If Office Outlook doesn't find what you want in your current folder, it will display a dialog box to ask if you want to search the rest. Click Yes and Microsoft Outlook 2007 will look through all your folders—even within e-mail attachments, says Evan Archila, author of So That's How! Timesavers, Breakthroughs, & Everyday Genius for the 2007 Microsoft Office System.

Do more in the main window with new options on either side. Click the new To-Do bar to display two days of appointments and pending tasks while the main window is still open. Select the double chevron above the list of folders to minimize it and gain 40 percent more reading space—which is great for large attachments, says Nick Stillings, an information worker specialist at Microsoft.

Manage e-mail in your absence. With Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Outlook 2007 can send separate internal and external out-of-office replies. The Out of Office Assistant also lets you schedule when your out-of-office message will begin and end.

Flag e-mail messages for today, tomorrow, or any specific date. Microsoft Outlook 2007 automatically adds them to your task list, calendar, and To-Do bar so you remember to follow up.

Forget about moving uncompleted tasks manually. Microsoft Outlook 2007 automatically shifts them to the next day.

Monitor your daily tasks from within your calendar. Microsoft Outlook 2007 now places each day's tasks on the calendar page.

Compare two calendars faster. If you like how Outlook 2003 lets you view two calendars side by side, you'll love how Microsoft Outlook 2007 lets you overlay one calendar on top of another. Color-coding highlights the shared open time slots.

Coordinate group meetings faster. When you use the Scheduling Assistant in Microsoft Outlook 2007 to compare multiple calendars on the same Exchange server, the most desirable times appear in bright colors, with the number of available attendees clearly noted.

Share your calendar with people who are not on your Exchange Server with Outlook Internet Calendars, a new feature in Microsoft Outlook 2007 that allows you to post your calendar to Office Online or other calendar-sharing sites. One password lets clients, partners, vendors, and others check your availability on Office Online. Another allows select people to change your appointments.