How to avoid duplicate folders in email and on My Computer

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Scott716

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For any project, I have a bunch of emails and a bunch of documents (PowerPoint, Excel spreadsheets) etc. that end up in two separate places. And they should really be in just one.

The emails go into folders for the projects, like "Sales Proposal for A" and "Marketing Strategyfor B". But then I also put documents in "My Folder" under similarly named folders.

Duplicate folders. Inefficient.

But there is no efficient way to move emails into a regular folder in My Documents because then it is difficult to reread or forward those emails. So I keep files for projects in 2 separate places: one for email, one for documents.

How can I keep them in just one place?
 
Are you using Outlook? If so, what version? There are ways to just copy/drag email messages to desktop folders as .msg files. You can open, forward, and reply to them from the desktop folder. If you're using OL, post back, and folks will offer all types of helpful hints!
 
Thanks.
It is Outlook 2003.

Plus, I have adapted the views in Outlook according to the instructions in the "Getting Things Done Outlook Add-in"

One question -- If I save emails in .msg format outside of my .pst folder, will this make it more difficult to flip tghrough my emails? Won't each .msf become a file that I have to open, by contrast with emails in the .pst folders that I can just flip through in Outlook?
 
You could also do the opposite. You can add documents to your Outlook folders. This way you'd have everything in one place. The only risk here is that if your PST file became corrupt, you've lost everything. So back up regularly or keep backup copies of the files elsewhere.
 
OK, the problem-solver in me couldn't let this go, so I played around last night with it. I couldn't come up with a good way to store email messages and MS-format documents in the same place. Shortcuts, though, let it appear that they do, and that might help you out.

I assume you have a folder within My Documents titled ProjectABC, in which you have saved all documents and files (other than email) related to the project. I assume you also have a folder within your OL Inbox titled ProjectABC, in which you have saved all email messages related to the project. You can simply create a shortcut within the My Documents subfolder to the email folder (right-click the email folder and drag to the documents/files folder). That way, when you open up the My Documents subfolder, there are all of your documents and what appears to be a folder with all related email messages. If you click on the email folder, it opens up a new OL window in that folder. Essentially, when you open the My Docs subfolder, you're one click away from all your messages as well.

Unfortunately, there's no way that I've found to simultaneously search the documents and email messages. Though I'm not sure how important that is to you. If the goal is to be able to simply open one folder and see everything related to a specific project, this should work.

Best,
 
Scott716 said:
One question -- If I save emails in .msg format outside of my .pst folder, will this make it more difficult to flip tghrough my emails? Won't each .msf become a file that I have to open, by contrast with emails in the .pst folders that I can just flip through in Outlook?
Click to expand...

Yeah, unfortunately in this case it's basically like a normal file where you will have to double click each .msg file to read.
 
A couple of options

Option 1: create an e-mail with a link to the file and file the e-mail in your e-mail folder.

From the menu select Insert Object; Speed Key: alt-i o
In the Insert Object Dialog box:
Check Create From File and then check the Link check box Speed Key: alt-f l
Then select browse (Speed Key B) and select your file from the browse dialog box. Select "OK"
Select Display as Icon (Speek Key Alt-D) and then "OK"

Send the e-mail to yourself with a subject line such as: "FILE: proposal for company A"…

And then use the GTD add-in to file it with you're e-mail.

Option 2: Check out Google Desktop and don't worry about where you file stuff. It searches accross folders and your outlook files....

hope this helps...
 
you could also use the "Post in this folder" feature in Outlook

I understand well what you describe. If I would integrate the two views (*), I probably would do it in Outlook, and use the option to "Post in This Folder" (File - New Post in This Folder ... or Ctrl+Shift+S). I don't use the feature much, I guess it was made to post in public folders, but works perfectly in all Outlook folders.

I sometimes use it to save my own notes for upcoming staff meetings, so that I have them in the same folder in Outlook as I have the inputs from my team members.

By that way you could attach a file to that post, and add text, comments to the post and give it a meaningful title.

Andreas

(*) I personally have thought about it, but haven't found the (imagined) effort worth doing it. Instead I use Yahoo Desktop for searching all my PST files, attachments, contacts, and files on my disc.
 
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