No, I’m not from the UK.

Yes, the list below came from people who work at a blood center.  Groan.

Sorry.  Moving on.

Working at a blood center requires excellence in the areas of biotech, healthcare, customer service, marketing, and IT.  Many blood banks operate as not-for-profits as well.  So, you won’t be surprised that I found #ProductivitySuperheroes when I recently facilitated my seminar, Productivity Hacks Using Microsoft Outlook, at a community blood center in southeast Georgia.

I asked the participants to tell me what their favorite feature of Microsoft Outlook was.  Here were their replies:

• The ability to search for mail using keywords. It is easier than trying to remember who sent it or when you received the message.  ~ Becky
• I love scheduling meetings and appointments on my Outlook Calendar. ~ Jennifer
• I use read receipts because it’s good to know that people are reading my messages. ~ Susan
• We make use of Outlook distribution lists. It is especially nice when sending out job postings.  ~ Sharon
• I like to organize my email into folders. It helps keep my inbox managed.  ~ Pam (Jane and Sally agree!)
• My favorite feature is People. I am able to keep track of my contacts.  ~ Brandy
• My Outlook calendar is my brain! ~Tricia
• I travel a lot and the out of office autoreply is essential. ~ Kevin
• Outlook contacts help me keep track of people outside the organization. ~ Eric
• I appreciate the ability to see when my colleagues are free vs. busy on the Outlook calendar. ~ Maurice
• I add notes and keywords to the notes section of my Outlook contacts so that I can remember details about the person. ~ Greg
• I use the calendar for both my appointments and reminders. ~ Mike

The list above was the first thing we did in the seminar, and by the end, many of the participants had added Outlook Tasks onto their list of favorite features.  Have you ever tried it?  Shoot me an email if you’d like a free tip sheet for Outlook Tasks.  It’s a really cool way to manage your action items.

I salute these #ProductivitySuperheroes who make sure that there will be plenty of blood available for you and me in our local hospitals.  Have you donated lately?

This article is a part of my #ProductivitySuperheroes series where I profile people who are exceptional at managing their time, tasks, information and/or life in general. If you’d like to nominate yourself or someone you admire, please email getproductive@melissagratias.com.

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Melissa Gratias (pronounced “Gracious”) used to think that productivity was a result of working long hours. And, she worked a lot of hours. Then, she learned that productivity is a skill set, not a personality trait. Now, Melissa is a productivity expert who coaches and trains other businesspeople to be more focused, balanced, and effective. She is a prolific writer and speaker who travels the world helping people change how they work and improve how they live. Contact her at getproductive@melissagratias.com or 912-417-2505. Sign up to receive her productivity tips via email.