I've been using flags in Outlook as well. It's a great system, and I can set up filters to automatically flag certain things. I use color flags to distinguish priority or type of task:

Blue - Must do today before leaving
Red - General To Do with no particular time constraint (because Red is the default color, this means I have to specifically select other categories...thus, this is kind of the catch-all bucket)
Yellow - For Reference (no action needed but want to keep it handy)
Orange - Check on this later (for things like e-mails I've replied to but that I owe further response or am waiting for more info from someone else before I can reply)

Then, I have search folders that I use to be able to see how many of each item I have at a glance and which also names the categories. This has worked really well for me. I've become well-known at my office for being on top of my e-mail, and I credit this system for it. It makes it pretty fast and easy to sort my e-mail. The things that aren't flagged for action get automatically moved to an offline folder once a week...that keeps me from filling my inbox or getting distracted by items that I previously determined weren't worth attention.

TsuKata

Dont forget, rules dont work on IMAP. At least in outlook 2003

holymogwai

I have actually been using flags to organize my to do list for awhile now and even though all mail doesn't require a follow-up, i can see what actually needs a next action from me and what doesn't. I setup a rule to flag everything in my inbox, then as i read it, i mark it as complete. If it requires further action, then i leave it checked. Outlook 2007 actually adds these emails to my to do bar, but i have since found a new love with xobni who does the same thing, just with added features. It works really well for me so that i can see what needs to be done. I am sure it wouldn't work for everyone, but for those of us who don't get email every minute, it works well.

aarontn

I think this approach is flawed for a few reasons. One, it assumes that all emails from specific senders require follow-up - this is rarely the case. My boss sends a fair amount of email, but only occasionally do I need to follow-up. Second, it requires maintaining tons of sender-specific rules, which is not very portable, and requires a bunch of maintenance over time. I used rules for years and finally gave up on all of them, aside from a few to stow away bot emails.

I've found it much easier to maintain two primary folders - Inbox and Archive - and flag to-do messages manually. On a daily basis, my goal is to reduce the number of flagged messages.

monster79

This is great, though Outlook 2k7 makes task organization and scheduling a lot more intuitive IMHO.

AceKicker

For those of you GTDers out there, I absolutely love Jello.Dashboard. I think it was actually on LifeHacker awhile back, but I figured I'd throw that out there.

[www.jello-dashboard.net]

mulletmandan

I can recommend color-coding emails from certain senders via Tools | Organize | Using Colors. Makes it a lot easier to distinguish Bob's emails from Sue's.

jarmod

I like the todo system explained here and I like the flag system you, Adam, demonstrated. Now I think there might be a way to improve things and especially cut the number of times an e-mail is moved.
I personally extensively use the search/filter feature. In your case I'd apply it for keeping tracks of flagged e-mails as well as who sent them. E-mails remain at the same place which is convenient (think grouping) and the sorting out is visible (contrary to rules which tend to be forgotten in time).

lelapin

I tried for years to get Outlook to perform a good to-do list function, but it just wasn't robust enough. While the suggestions in this article may be a step in the right direction, I still don't think the functionality is there (as described by some posters above).

The various "task list" Web 2.0 sites out there (Toodledo.com, Remember the Milk, etc.) do a much better job of organizing tasks and truly functioning as real-time to-do lists, not just for everyday tasks, but for long-term goal aspirations. My favorite is Toodledo.com ([www.toodledo.com]), which has been a godsend for me. I have it linked into a Jott.com voice recording account, which allows me to place a quick phone call to my Jott account and dictate my random "to-do" thoughts that I have as I drive to/from work, etc. I just speak my task and it automatically gets listed in my Toodledo.com task list. The follow-up functionality built into the site is just awesome. (BTW, I have absolutely no connection to the company. I just love the service and how it has helped me. I got a Pro account for $15/year, which provides even greater functionality beyond the basics. Well worth it, although the free version is great too. Check it out.)

orchardadvisors

I know this really is off topic - but since this post is about outlook - here goes...
If any of you (and that includes Lifehacker staff obviously) have a good way to sync two computers running outlook 2003 i would be the happiest person alive.
I use both my laptop and the home computer to read and answer mails - recieving mail isn't the problem, nor is it moving around the sub-folders (twice the work - but it can be done). however sent mail is bad. i have to save the mails as a pst file, move them to the other computer and move back the mails on the second computer to the first. annoying. damn annoying.

help please...

Maglen