The Articling Student’s Guide to Not Drowning in Emails

While email management is not usually taught in law school, organizing your inbox will prove very helpful in articling. You will thank yourself when you inevitably have to find that one email sent several weeks ago with the meeting link, or which courtroom you are supposed to be in. When I started working, I found the volume of emails difficult to manage only from my Inbox folder. So, I gathered some helpful tips to set you up for success. Building strong organizational skills in articling will assist in making the jump from articling student to associate in a few short months.  

Tip #1: Set up Folders and File, File, File   

Folders are underutilized by articling students. When you are assigned to a new matter, immediately create a folder with the file name. As tasks, responses, links, and other correspondence come in, file them into the corresponding folder so you can easily navigate without scrolling through your inbox. To take this tip to the next level, set up a rule in Outlook that can move emails from certain senders directly to the folder, if helpful.  

Tip #2: Treat your Inbox as your “To do” List   

A lawyer once told me this tip, and it greatly improved my organization. As you triage and file emails, keep your inbox as a running “To do” list. Only your key action items should sit in your inbox. As you complete tasks, you can file the email into its respective folder. I find filing the email once I have completed a task very satisfactory, similar to crossing something off your list. 

Tip #3: Use the “Follow-Up” Flag and Task List in Outlook   

Outlook can remind you of when tasks are coming up. That email with the meeting link for a discovery? Flag it. Need to respond by a certain date? Flag it. This saves you time when you inevitably need to track down the email with the meeting link or remind yourself of the task to complete. The flags also act as a great visual reminder, as they stand out from the general white background. To take this tip to the next level, you may consider colour-coding emails with categories, if that is helpful to you.  

Tip #4: Attach an Email in Quick Steps to Avoid Sifting  

In addition to flagging emails, take organization to the next level by using Quick Steps. Right-click on the email, navigate to Quick Steps and set up “create task with attachment.” This will generate a reminder to complete the task and attach the email you need to respond to. You can even add your own personal reminders to the email to help you follow up on the task more efficiently.     

Digital organization is very personal. As your articling journey unfolds, you may come up with your own helpful tricks. Hopefully, some of these strategies can give you a starting point to set you up for a successful articling term!