5 Productivity Tips to Help You Master Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is a robust software that has so much to offer. It doesn’t matter whether you are using it at an individual or organizational level. Tons of features make it an outstanding product.

Industry statistics show that over a million companies in the world use the software. Companies in the US are leading in the adoption of Microsoft Office 365.

You may already be using some of the tools like Word, Excel, Outlook, or PowerPoint. But have you explored their full potential? It may surprise you that there is so much more to the tools.

We will look at some productivity tips that can help you master Microsoft Office 365. Let’s dive straight into it.

1.  Simplify Project Management with Microsoft Project

Project management can be a headache. It gets worse if you do not have the right tools and techniques. There are also so many facets to the tasks that need streamlining. It is easy for things to fall by the wayside resulting in project failures.

Microsoft Project can help simplify project management. It uses a dashboard system so that everyone within the team is clear on their roles. The project manager can keep track of timelines as well as see progress.

Integration with other tools like Office and Microsoft Teams helps with communication and collaboration. Project teams can also use visual graphics that give an overview of the entire project.

The platform also works on mobile platforms. It gives quick access anytime a team member needs information.

There is a lot to love about the Microsoft Project. Getting a handle on some of the functionalities may be a bit challenging if you are a beginner. If you want to know how to use it like a pro, check out this Microsoft Project tutorial.

You get to learn about the different resources available. Further, step by step tutorials will show you how to use the different benefits. Such include formatting Gantt charts, entering and  linking tasks,and so much more.

2.  Achieve Better Communication and Collaboration with Microsoft Teams

The modern workplace has changed quite a bit. Many companies are allowing employees to work from remote locations. This may be due to the Corona pandemic that reared its ugly head in 2020. Other job situations need teams to be out in the field or different parts of the globe.

Yet, collaboration and continuous communication are critical for the greatest productivity. Microsoft Teams incorporates the use of video, messaging, and calling.

You also get extra features such as virtual breakout rooms. They allow for smaller groups to meet if you need to separate some people from the main session. Other fantastic features of Microsoft Teams include:-

• The ability to access Outlook or word from the dashboard. It helps if you need to refer to documents during the session
• File sharing via Microsoft Onedrive
• Integration with third-party applications or tools like Github, SurveyMonkey, and Evernote
• Inline translator that covers 36 languages.

3.  Focus on To-Do Lists with OneNote

Do you find that you tend to forget so many things because of busy schedules? You have a notebook that you, on rare occasions, jot down the things you need to do. But, the irony is that you end up forgetting to refer to the list altogether. Such is life; events have a way of taking over.

But, the Microsoft team came up with a brilliant solution. OneNote does not give you the option of forgetting. Think about it like that digital notebook that helps you prioritize the things you need to do. By integrating the notebook with your work, you have no choice but to remember what you need to do.

Users get access to fantastic features like:-

• Meeting management
• Advanced search filters
• Co-authoring capabilities with collaboration tools
• Third-party app integrations, and so much more.

4.  Organize Your Emails with Outlook

Do you ever look at your emails and feel like screaming? If yes, you are not alone.A research paper in Psychology today has interesting insights. It shows that looking at your inbox can lead to a significant increase in stress levels. It can also have a negative impact on your well-being, depending on the tone of the message. When multitasking, you become less productive. While it is not possible to do away with emails, there is a way you can organize and manage them.\

Outlook has some excellent features to help with this.

• The ignore feature allows you to remove any emails or conversation you do not want in your inbox
• The clutter feature helps rank messages. You can send non-essential emails to the clutter folder. The other option is to leave them in your inbox but label them as clutter. Now, here is where it gets really cool. The clutter feature learns your behavior depending on how you handle emails. If you tend to ignore some or delete without opening, it will label such as clutter.
• Boomerang allows you to snooze messages. You can also schedule emails, or even remind you to respond to emails.
• The ignore feature allows you to mute emails that are of no interest to you. You can also set it to automatically move any messages that you do not want in your inbox to trash.

5.  Better Security with Office 365

Data security is always a concern when using computers or the internet. Office 365 has taken this into consideration. You get features such as multi-factor authentication. It gives more security because you do not depend on a password alone.

Malicious links that may come from email attachments are a real threat. Clicking on such links gives hackers a way to access your systems. Once in, they can steal data or cause damage.

Ransomware is also a key concern because you have to part with money to get back your data. Office 365 has advanced threat protection (ATP). It helps protect users against such threats.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft Office 365 is a great software. It has so many features that can help make work easy. Organizations can take advantage of tools like Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Project. They help streamline work processes. Team members can collaborate and communicate even from remote locations.

Sharing files and editing documents are possible on the cloud-based platform. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about data security. The company has taken the appropriate steps to include excellent security features.