Let's look at another e-mail annoyance: Subject lines that no longer match the content of the message.

Suppose, for example,that you and some coworkers start exchanging e-mail about the company picnic. Somewhere along the way, the conversation shifts to sales forecasts, at which point a colleague pastes in some new figures. Now it's a message you want to keep for future reference. Just one problem: The subject line still reads 'Company Picnic'.

Fortunately, Outlook has a hidden feature that lets you edit an e-mail's subject line. In Outlook, open the e-mail in question. (You can't do this with message previews; you have to double-click the message to open it in a new window.) Click anywhere in the Subject line to place your cursor, and then edit the subject as you see fit. Press <Enter>, and accept whatever warning Outlook gives you.

That's it! Now you can file the e-mail message away with a more appropriate (and recognizable at a glance) subject line.