Dear Mr. Internet,

I use Outlook XP and save all my important messages in various folders.  Is there an easy way to find all messages related to a particular person in my Outlook contacts database without having to search various folders?

Edna Carter, CRS, GRI
RE/MAX Realty Associates
Champaign, IL

Dear Edna,

A resounding "Yes!" to your question.  However, before we go into the details of how to do this, I want to first address the use of folders within Outlook.  Folders are a way to store incoming messages, typically after you have read them.  As I am sure you have already found, they are a great way to organize your e-mail messaging according to any criteria such as topic, transaction, person, etc.

Ideally, when you have your messages organized in this fashion, it should be as easy as opening the appropriate folder to find the ones you are looking for.  Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way.  For example, when I receive a message from one of my many virtual assistants, I will sometimes put it into their folder (the one with their name on it), or in another folder that has to do with a specific project they are working on.

While this method of organizing my messages works for me in the way I think about my business, it also means that I have my messages distributed among many different folders.  At first blush, this sounds like a recipe for extreme frustration when looking for all messages from a particular person.  However, the professional version of Outlook (2000 or XP) makes it a snap to find all messages (and everything else -- i.e. appointments, notes, etc.) associated with any person in your contact database.

Instant Bloodhound

Outlook's "Activities" tab highlighted in the contact record below is the key to finding all messages, appointments, journal entries, notes, etc. associated with the contact.  To view a very cool animated Coach N' Click™ Flash movie on how this works just CLICK HERE or on the image below.

This ability to find anything and everything associated with a particular contact makes Outlook 2000 (or XP) very, very powerful.  Now you don't have to worry about where a particular message was saved because Outlook can find it for you in a flash.  And anything like this that saves you time and frustration, will also save you dollars as well!

(Editor's note: Mr. Internet, his company and staff receive no compensation whatsoever from any third-party vendors or service providers. Investigate any products or services found on the Net thoroughly to your satisfaction before using them at your own risk.)

Published: October 20, 2003

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Michael J. Russer (a.k.a. Mr. Internet®) is an internationally acclaimed speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry and small business. He is also the exclusive Internet columnist for REALTOR® Magazine, the architect of the revolutionary e-ProductivityTM system and leading voice for the use of Virtual Assistants in small business. You can subscribe to his free monthly leading-edge newsletter ePOWER NEWS by going to ePowerNews.com.