R
ray_ng
Guest
For one month, I had my inbox down to empty on a daily basis and all incoming mail was properly and efficiently processed and organized in just a few seconds. During this month, I actually enjoyed and looked forward to opening my Outlook to check email, schedule appointments, and stay organized. How did this come to be? It all began during my trial period for an amazing add-on for Microsoft Outlook.
During my trial period of an add-on called ClearContext Information Management System, I discovered a whole new way approaching email. I spent approximately half the time I required in the past, and was still much more organized.
In recent weeks, my trial expired and this is when I realized the power of this super-productivity boosting tool called ClearContext. Having to resort back to my old ways of reading and sorting through email, it sprung upon me how incredibly slow and inefficient this old way truly was. I was spending much more time and not getting nearly as much done. Now, I am not sure if I can do the add-on justice by writing about my own experiences, but I will give it a try.
Within one day of installing ClearContext Information Management System, I got my three email inboxes (from Hotmail and Gmail) that had accumulated over 1000 unread emails to zero... and it was actually fun! How? By Categorizing my emails by topic and filing them away. ClearContext makes this exceptionally easy with a click of the 'file' button. It is like having a secretary file all your important emails away for you in a filing cabinet for easy reference later. ClearContext makes the process of filing so automated and intuitive in fact that it literally only takes a second. Also, the Defer button has been a blessing. Sometimes, there are those emails that you just have no idea what to do with? It could be an invitation to a party or a Facebook friend request that you don't quite know what to do with. In any case, this defer button allows you to make the email disappear from your inbox and reappear at a later time as if it were a new email. The beauty with this is that you have accurate precision down to the minute on when you would like the email to reappear. Now you can defer that three month early party invitation to a more appropriate time when you know your schedule.
The next challenge I had was to keep my inbox at empty. This was also easy with ClearContext Information Management System. What I did with any new incoming email was convert it to a scheduled appointment/task with the ClearContext add-on, unsubscribe it, or perform any of the above filing or deferring functions. What I have learnt about Outlook is that it is a powerful program if you can unlock its full potential. ClearContext Information Management System does just that in an instant and makes it all intuitive.
Further, the changes and improvements made to my inbox, such as folders, categories, and other things, synchronized perfectly with my Windows Mobile device in both directions with no problems. In my experience, the application has been flawless to date!
Among all the things I have elaborated on, there is a wealth of other top-notch tools included in this add-on that I have barely begun to experience! Further, the development team is highly active and responsive to customer feedback.
The only downside I can think of is the hefty price tag on the full professional edition. While I can vouch for the fact that this price is actually a bargain for what you get, and is not very much to pay for all the time and headaches you save, it is actually out of my budget currently as a 'starving' student. Nevertheless, the team at ClearContext probably is well aware of this and were kind enough to offer their personal edition of the product for free! While it is missing some of the features such as the 'defer' button, it has many of the essentials in the full feature-rich edition. It is safe to say that the personal edition is better than nothing. However, after trying both, I can honestly say that I cannot wait to upgrade to the professional edition. I have even started saving up for it already!
Ray
During my trial period of an add-on called ClearContext Information Management System, I discovered a whole new way approaching email. I spent approximately half the time I required in the past, and was still much more organized.
In recent weeks, my trial expired and this is when I realized the power of this super-productivity boosting tool called ClearContext. Having to resort back to my old ways of reading and sorting through email, it sprung upon me how incredibly slow and inefficient this old way truly was. I was spending much more time and not getting nearly as much done. Now, I am not sure if I can do the add-on justice by writing about my own experiences, but I will give it a try.
Within one day of installing ClearContext Information Management System, I got my three email inboxes (from Hotmail and Gmail) that had accumulated over 1000 unread emails to zero... and it was actually fun! How? By Categorizing my emails by topic and filing them away. ClearContext makes this exceptionally easy with a click of the 'file' button. It is like having a secretary file all your important emails away for you in a filing cabinet for easy reference later. ClearContext makes the process of filing so automated and intuitive in fact that it literally only takes a second. Also, the Defer button has been a blessing. Sometimes, there are those emails that you just have no idea what to do with? It could be an invitation to a party or a Facebook friend request that you don't quite know what to do with. In any case, this defer button allows you to make the email disappear from your inbox and reappear at a later time as if it were a new email. The beauty with this is that you have accurate precision down to the minute on when you would like the email to reappear. Now you can defer that three month early party invitation to a more appropriate time when you know your schedule.
The next challenge I had was to keep my inbox at empty. This was also easy with ClearContext Information Management System. What I did with any new incoming email was convert it to a scheduled appointment/task with the ClearContext add-on, unsubscribe it, or perform any of the above filing or deferring functions. What I have learnt about Outlook is that it is a powerful program if you can unlock its full potential. ClearContext Information Management System does just that in an instant and makes it all intuitive.
Further, the changes and improvements made to my inbox, such as folders, categories, and other things, synchronized perfectly with my Windows Mobile device in both directions with no problems. In my experience, the application has been flawless to date!
Among all the things I have elaborated on, there is a wealth of other top-notch tools included in this add-on that I have barely begun to experience! Further, the development team is highly active and responsive to customer feedback.
The only downside I can think of is the hefty price tag on the full professional edition. While I can vouch for the fact that this price is actually a bargain for what you get, and is not very much to pay for all the time and headaches you save, it is actually out of my budget currently as a 'starving' student. Nevertheless, the team at ClearContext probably is well aware of this and were kind enough to offer their personal edition of the product for free! While it is missing some of the features such as the 'defer' button, it has many of the essentials in the full feature-rich edition. It is safe to say that the personal edition is better than nothing. However, after trying both, I can honestly say that I cannot wait to upgrade to the professional edition. I have even started saving up for it already!
Ray