Control Your Day: A New Approach to Email and Time Management Using Microsoft® Outlook and the concepts of Getting Things Done®

After working through the configuration changes in Outlook and using the methodology for a week, I'm feeling much more in control of my email than before. I still have a ways to go, namely to add more rules to get rid of emails I very seldom read. I want to dump them into an unsubscribe folder for later processing to get off their mailing lists. The reason for four stars instead of five is I wish there was more page devoted to walking through some typical "day in the life" scenarios.

Update July 23, 2020:I am still using the Control Your Day methodology in Outlook and I'd be less productive without it.I recently implemented the new updates provided in the 3rd Edition and those changes makes CYD even better.I highly recommend CYD to those who get a lot of email containing tasks for you "to do".Also, Jim's video course is an excellent visual tutorial on CYD and helps clarify what you read in the book.If you work on a desktop computer and need help "getting things done", I highly recommend this book.*********************Original Review:This works. I implemented the Outlook settings and have used this CYD system for the past week.I've tried numerous Folder and Categorizing organizing methods to better manage my inbox and tasks... but have always failed to maintain it as I tend to just leave everything in my inbox and to-do list grow beyond control.But this CYD method forces me to Do-Delay-Delegate-Dump and makes it very difficult to just "ignore". I'm using Getting Things Done methodology better than I've been able to previously.Instead of using the Outlook "Task" facilities, I am "Posting" non-email tasks in my Inbox so everything is always in my CYD management screens and the tasks cannot be overlooked/ignored/forgotten.I know it's only been a week, but like I said, once this system is set up in Outlook it practically forces you to follow the rules and be more productive. I'm a big fan.

I've tried countless times to figure out a way to get in control of the Email Dragon. Never have been able to come up with a SYSTEM to do it. Jim's book describes a system that makes the most of Outlook while working around its deficiencies. I've never been able to get Outlook operational because of its complexity. Every time I'd try, there were so many decisions to figure out that I'd just give up and go back to my old, known (and woefully outdated mailbox) This tiny skinny book is a step-by-step, fast and easy tool to get it done NOW.Once I decided to trust Jim and his book (and put away the piles of lengthy other books I'd bought), it only took a few hours to get set up. He must have been a technical writer in another lifetime because he knows how to tell you in simple steps what to do and the right sequence to do it. I ran into one simple problem with code he has in the book for an auto-filing macro. I shot him an email and within an hour, he'd sent me the code and it worked the first time!This book is priced WAY TOO LOW. It should be at least $20 for the value in it. Hope he comes out with a follow-on book where he demonstrates all the possibilities of his system.

At one point, I was a consistent practitioner of GTD. Have had to branch out to some other systems a few years back when a new career path "broke" my GTD rhythm.Admittedly, I didn't actually put CYD into practice, but the book seemed focused on creating a system that would require waaaay too much futzing and switching among different Outlook folders, views, etc.Furthermore, the screenshots were ridiculous. Tiny, low resolution pictures on low-quality paper made them next to usesless.I ordered this book at the same time I ordered "Total Workday Control" by Michael Linenberger. That book arrived a couple days earlier, so I started digging in right away. Made more sense from the get-to, and proved immediately useful, which may have amplified the contrast with CYD.

This system WORKS! I was totally overwhelmed prior to reading this book, getting insane amounts of email. I would often overlook or miss things never to be seen again...until my boss would ask about it. Not good. I followed the instructions to set up my search folders any now I LIVE BY THEM. I actually feel like I'm in control now. I can finish my day feeling totally comfortable that I've done everything I needed to do for that day. Using the follow up flags is KEY! I use them all the time. I set a follow up flag....and forget about it. It shows up again in my inbox on the day I choose. Thank you Jim!

I "met" Jim on the GTD Virtual Study Group podcast years ago when he first presented the Control Your Day material. Our corporate Outlook setup wasn't compatible at the time, but I never forgot the power of these ideas! I came back to this several months ago, bought both ebook and paperback, and fully implemented the CYD approach.WOW! This has been an unbelievable stress reducer and productivity enhancer! I had a coworker tell me this morning how amazed they were at all the projects I was involved in and how I was able to keep all tasks and communications current. That's CYD. I've been a devotee of David Allen's Getting Things Done system for years, so this is a tremendous privilege to have such a powerful Outlook customization tool for my day-to-day work.Buy the book. Watch Jim's setup videos on his website. Do whatever you have to do to see the benefits of this wonderful workflow.Thanks, Jim, for your great contribution to our careers and personal sanity!

I've read this twice now and set up my mail accordingly but I don't think I full understand what's happening behind the scenes and I find older information difficult to retrieve ?I see the value and will persevere maybe read it a third time ?

A good read for anyone wanting to control their inbox

Il libro fornisce un'utile guida per organizzare le email in entrata in modo da poter facilmente gestire le cose da fare e quando farle. Molto utile per chi deve eseguire azioni in funzione delle email che riceve.

El contenido es muy claro, detallado y paso a paso. Me ayudó muchísimo a organizar mi correo y crear un sistema mucho más efectivo para usarlo y no pasar tanto tiempo leyendo correos.

This is a great compliment to David Allen's Getting Things Done. Simple to read and easy to put into practice. Great online resources that compliment the book as well. We were using Outlook 2003 at work and I was able to use this book as a way to convince them to upgrade my computer to 2010. Great job and great service as I've been able to even ask the author questions directly. Thanks.