“For Word / Excel / Outlook Users.” If you’re not composing e-mail or sending instant messages, what are you doing on your personal computer? Most likely, you’re working on an important document or spreadsheet. You’ve got the programs, you use the programs, so why not learn a little bit more about what else those programs can do for you? [ 50 Tips for $7 / Download ]

I live in Outlook. Seriously. Only when I’m doing serious CPU crunching is that PIM ever closed. I used to rely on the Outlook bar until my local folders grew to the point where I needed to enable the Folder view. What I didn’t realize is that Outlook (at least 2000) has an Integrated File Management option - provided you have the Outlook Bar turned on (find that in the View menu). Right-click anywhere in the blank space and select “Outlook Bar Shortcut.” In the “Look in” field, select “File System,” and then browse to the folder of your choosing (possibly one you visit very often). Nice, huh? Now, click View | Current View, and select different file structure options. “Document timeline” is a fantastic tool, and “By file type” is just as useful. Remember, you can also put shortcuts to your favorite Web pages in here, too. Ready for the ultimate bonus? Yeah, I’m not finished yet. While using Outlook to view a local folder, in the File menu, select Print and choose Table Style. Guess what that does? Yeah, it does exactly what you’ve wanted Windows to do for years - it prints the directory! Throw away those third-party apps once and for all!