Convert Emails Into Calendar Appointments With Priorities

Q. I often get e-mails that demand a timely response or require that I schedule something in my calendar. But when the e-mails come in rapidly, I’m sometimes too pressed to respond immediately. Isn’t there a way to link my e-mails to my calendar so I can create instant reminders for myself?

A. There are two things you can do. The simplest is to add a follow-up flag to the new e-mail. In your Inbox , right-click on a message; this generates a menu that includes a Follow Up item identified with a little red flag. When you click on it, the following screen at right appears:

Add the date for follow-up in the Due by: space, and Outlook will alert you on that day. In the meantime, the red flag will stay on the e-mail message in your Inbox until you clear it (see screenshot below).

Another thing you can do is drag the message from your Inbox onto the Calendar icon on the Outlook Bar . That evokes this screen:

Enter the date and time you want to reply, and specify any additional options you want; it will save to your calendar as an appointment.