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Productivity & Workflows

Practical workflows to keep your day under control — from email and tasks to approvals, forms, shortcuts, and simple automation across Microsoft 365.

Each topic includes the purpose, best practices, and steps, plus optional links (videos, blog posts, scribes, templates) where they add value. Use Ctrl+F / Cmd+F on the table below to jump fast, or return to the full Knowledge Base .

Workflow Cards · Table of Contents

Quick, practical guides to automating and organizing your workday across Microsoft 365.

Tip: Select a card to view the specific purpose, steps, and best practices for that workflow.
W-01

Automate a Repetitive Task

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Automate a Repetitive Task

Purpose: Eliminate manual repeat work using Power Automate so tasks run automatically in the background.

Description

Use Power Automate to eliminate manual repetitive work and save time.

When to use this

When you find yourself copying data between apps, saving attachments manually, or sending standard weekly reminders.

Steps

  1. Log into Power Automate and select 'Create'.
  2. Search the 'Templates' gallery for your specific scenario (e.g., Save Outlook attachments).
  3. Confirm connections to your M365 account.
  4. Customize the folder paths or triggers if needed.
  5. Test the flow and turn it on.

Best practices

  • Always start with a template to see how the logic is built.
  • Use clear naming for your flows so you can troubleshoot later.
  • Keep a "Flow Test" folder so you don't clutter your live files during setup.

Additional resources

W-02

Create an Approval Workflow

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W-02

Create an Approval Workflow

Purpose: Replace messy email chains by routing requests or documents through a consistent approval process.

Description

Route documents or requests for approval automatically without manual email chains.

When to use this

For expense claims, document sign-offs, or leave requests where a formal record of the decision is required.

Steps

  1. Create a trigger (e.g., when a file is created in a folder).
  2. Add the 'Start and wait for an approval' action.
  3. Assign the approval to a specific user or manager.
  4. Add a 'Condition' step (If 'Outcome' is 'Approve').
  5. Send an email notification to the requester with the final decision.

Best practices

  • Use 'First to respond' for quick approvals by a team.
  • Always include a link to the document in the approval request details.
  • Set up 'Approval Center' in Teams to manage all requests in one place.

Additional resources

W-03

Create a Team Task List

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W-03

Create a Team Task List

Purpose: Give your team one shared place to capture and track work instead of scattered messages.

Description

Build a shared to-do list in Microsoft Lists or Planner that everyone can update.

When to use this

When a team is collaborating on a project or managing an ongoing departmental queue of work.

Steps

  1. Open Microsoft Lists or Planner.
  2. Select 'New List' and choose a template like 'Work Progress Tracker'.
  3. Customize the columns (Task, Status, Priority, Assigned To).
  4. Share the list with your team members.
  5. Add the list as a tab in your Teams Channel for easy access.

Best practices

  • Use 'Status' columns with color-coded labels (e.g., Red for Blocked).
  • Avoid overly complex lists; if it takes more than 30 seconds to update, people won't use it.
  • Schedule a 5-minute 'Stand-up' to review the list weekly.

Additional resources

W-04

Task List in Microsoft Lists

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W-04

Create a Task List in Microsoft Lists

Purpose: Build a flexible task tracker with custom columns and views that suit your workflow.

Description

Build a custom task tracker with flexible columns and views.

When to use this

When Planner is too simple and you need custom data fields like 'Department', 'Budget', or 'Complexity'.

Steps

  1. Select 'Blank List' in Microsoft Lists.
  2. Add columns for 'Choice', 'Date', and 'Person'.
  3. Use 'Conditional Formatting' to highlight overdue tasks.
  4. Create different 'Views' (e.g., Gallery view for visual tracking).
  5. Enable 'Comments' to discuss specific tasks within the item.

Best practices

  • Use the 'Grid View' for fast bulk editing of task data.
  • Set up 'Rules' to notify people when a task status changes to 'Complete'.
  • Use 'Choice' columns instead of text to keep data clean for reporting.

Additional resources

W-05

Assign Tasks to Team Members

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Assign Tasks to Team Members

Purpose: Make ownership clear so tasks don't get lost or duplicated across the team.

Description

Delegate work and track who's responsible for what.

When to use this

In any shared environment where multiple people are contributing to the same project goal.

Steps

  1. In Planner or Lists, click the 'Assign' or 'Person' column.
  2. Type the name of the colleague (the system will suggest users in your tenant).
  3. Add a 'Due Date' immediately after assigning.
  4. Provide enough detail in the 'Notes' so the person knows what to do.
  5. Check the 'Assigned to me' view in Microsoft To Do to see your own tasks.

Best practices

  • Never leave a task unassigned; an unassigned task is often a forgotten task.
  • Limit assignments to one primary owner to avoid 'diffusion of responsibility'.
  • Encourage assignees to update their own progress rather than doing it for them.

Additional resources

W-06

Form to Collect Information

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W-06

Create a Form to Collect Information

Purpose: Collect consistent information quickly without back-and-forth emails.

Description

Build a survey or data collection form with Microsoft Forms.

When to use this

For internal surveys, event RSVPs, hardware requests, or standardizing customer feedback.

Steps

  1. Go to Forms.microsoft.com and click 'New Form'.
  2. Add questions like 'Choice', 'Text', or 'Date'.
  3. Use 'Branching' logic to skip irrelevant questions for certain users.
  4. Click 'Collect responses' to get a sharing link or QR code.
  5. Set 'Only people in my organization can respond' for internal forms.

Best practices

  • Keep forms as short as possible to increase completion rates.
  • Use 'Choice' questions instead of text to make the data easier to analyze later.
  • Add a 'Thank you' message that tells the user what happens next.

Additional resources

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View Form Responses

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View Form Responses

Purpose: Turn form submissions into usable insights you can review and act on.

Description

See and analyze data collected from a Microsoft Form.

When to use this

Immediately after a survey closes or periodically to monitor an ongoing intake form.

Steps

  1. Open your form in Microsoft Forms.
  2. Click the 'Responses' tab at the top.
  3. View the automated charts for a quick visual overview.
  4. Click 'Open in Excel' to download a spreadsheet of all raw data.
  5. Use 'Summary Link' if you want to share results with stakeholders.

Best practices

  • If you need real-time reporting, create your form inside an Excel workbook (Excel Online).
  • Use 'Delete all responses' before relaunching a form for a new cycle.
  • Check individual responses to see exactly who said what if anonymity is off.

Additional resources

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W-08

Use Keyboard Shortcuts

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W-08

Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Purpose: Save time daily by using common shortcuts across Microsoft 365 apps.

Description

Master common shortcuts to save time in Microsoft 365 apps.

When to use this

Continuously during your workday to reduce reliance on the mouse and speed up navigation.

Steps

  1. In Teams, press 'Ctrl + .' to see all available shortcuts.
  2. In Outlook, use 'Ctrl + N' for a new email and 'Ctrl + Enter' to send.
  3. In Word/Excel, use 'Alt' to show the ribbon shortcut keys.
  4. Try 'Windows + V' to access your clipboard history.
  5. Practice one new shortcut every day until it becomes muscle memory.

Best practices

  • Focus on the "Big Five": Copy, Paste, Undo, Find, and Search.
  • Use 'Ctrl + K' to insert links quickly in any app.
  • Don't try to learn all shortcuts at once; focus on the ones for your most-used app first.

Additional resources

W-09

Quick Steps in Outlook

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Use Quick Steps in Outlook

Purpose: Handle repetitive email actions in one click instead of multiple steps.

Description

Automate common email actions with one click.

When to use this

When you frequently perform the same multi-step action, like "Reply & Delete" or "Forward to Team & Archive".

Steps

  1. In the Outlook Home tab, find the 'Quick Steps' gallery.
  2. Select 'Create New'.
  3. Add multiple actions (e.g., Move to folder, Mark as read).
  4. Assign a keyboard shortcut (Optional).
  5. Select an email and click the Quick Step to execute the whole chain instantly.

Best practices

  • Create a "Manager" quick step to instantly forward emails to your supervisor and archive them.
  • Use Quick Steps for actions you choose to do; use Rules for actions that should happen automatically.
  • Keep only 3-5 Quick Steps to avoid cluttering your ribbon.

Additional resources

W-10

Email Rules in Outlook

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W-10

Create Email Rules in Outlook

Purpose: Automatically sort and manage email so your inbox stays under control.

Description

Automatically organize incoming emails based on criteria.

When to use this

To automatically move newsletters to a 'Read Later' folder or to flag emails from your biggest client immediately.

Steps

  1. Right-click an email and select 'Rules' > 'Create Rule'.
  2. Select the condition (e.g., From [User] or Subject contains [Project]).
  3. Select the action (e.g., Move to folder).
  4. Check 'Run this rule now' to clean up existing emails.
  5. Click 'OK' to save and activate.

Best practices

  • Don't over-automate; if you move everything to folders, you might miss urgent items.
  • Use 'Exceptions' to ensure your rules don't catch the wrong emails.
  • Periodically review your rules to delete ones for finished projects.

Additional resources

W-11

Out-of-Office Replies

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W-11

Set Up Out-of-Office Replies

Purpose: Let people know you’re away and reduce follow-up emails.

Description

Automatically respond to emails when you're away.

When to use this

For annual leave, public holidays, or even deep-focus days where you won't be checking email.

Steps

  1. In Outlook, go to 'File' > 'Automatic Replies'.
  2. Set the start and end time.
  3. Write your 'Inside My Organization' message.
  4. Write a different, more professional 'Outside My Organization' message.
  5. Click 'OK'.

Best practices

  • State clearly when you are returning and if you will be deleting emails received while away.
  • Provide an alternative contact for urgent matters.
  • Set your reply to start on your last day of work and end on your first day back.

Additional resources

W-12

Focused Inbox Effectively

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Use Focused Inbox Effectively

Purpose: Let Outlook prioritise important emails and reduce noise.

Description

Let Outlook prioritize important emails automatically.

When to use this

Daily, to ensure you are seeing personal communications and direct requests before automated system alerts.

Steps

  1. Go to the 'View' tab in Outlook.
  2. Select 'Show Focused Inbox'.
  3. Look at the 'Focused' tab for important emails.
  4. Look at 'Other' for newsletters and automated receipts.
  5. Right-click an email to 'Always move to Focused' to train the AI.

Best practices

  • Spend 5 minutes a week correcting the "Other" inbox to improve the AI's accuracy.
  • Don't ignore the "Other" tab entirely; check it once a day to ensure nothing was misfiled.
  • If you prefer a single list, turn it off—but try it for two weeks first.

Additional resources

W-13

Flag Emails for Follow-Up

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W-13

Flag Emails for Follow-Up

Purpose: Turn emails into action items so nothing important is forgotten.

Description

Mark emails that need your attention later.

When to use this

When you read an email that requires an action you can't complete right now.

Steps

  1. Hover over an email and click the 'Flag' icon.
  2. Right-click the flag to set a specific date (e.g., Tomorrow, Next Week).
  3. Add a reminder if you need a pop-up alert.
  4. View all flags in your Outlook 'To-Do' bar.
  5. Mark as 'Complete' (Green check) once the action is done.

Best practices

  • Avoid "Flag Bloat"; if everything is flagged, nothing is a priority.
  • Sync your flags with Microsoft To Do so they appear in your 'Tasks' app.
  • Clear out completed flags daily to keep your mental load light.

Additional resources

W-14

Clean Up Your Inbox

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W-14

Clean Up Your Inbox

Purpose: Reduce clutter and keep your inbox manageable.

Description

Reduce email clutter and organize efficiently.

When to use this

Weekly or monthly to prevent your inbox from becoming an unmanageable archive.

Steps

  1. Use the 'Clean Up' button in Outlook to remove redundant replies in a thread.
  2. Sort by 'Sender' to bulk-delete notification emails.
  3. Use 'Archive' (Backspace) for items you might need but don't need to see.
  4. Unsubscribe from newsletters you haven't read in 3 months.
  5. Create a 'Processed' folder to move everything out of your Inbox.

Best practices

  • Aim for "Inbox Zero" or "Inbox 50" where only active tasks remain.
  • Touch each email only once: Do it, Delegate it, Defer it, or Delete it (4 Ds).
  • Use the Search bar instead of complex folder structures to find files later.

Additional resources

W-15

Use Microsoft To Do

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W-15

Use Microsoft To Do

Purpose: Manage tasks in one place synced across Microsoft 365.

Description

Manage personal and work tasks in one place with Microsoft To Do.

When to use this

Daily, to plan your specific work day and keep track of tasks from Outlook, Planner, and personal notes.

Steps

  1. Open the To Do app on desktop or mobile.
  2. Click 'My Day' to see your blank slate for the day.
  3. Click 'Suggestions' (lightbulb) to see items from your lists to add to My Day.
  4. Enable 'Flagged Email' in the settings to see Outlook flags here.
  5. Create 'Lists' for different life categories (Home, Work, Project X).

Best practices

  • Use 'Steps' within a task to break down large items into smaller actions.
  • Always assign a 'Due Date' so tasks appear in the 'Planned' view.
  • Share a list with a colleague for simple, two-person collaboration.

Additional resources

Prefer a guided, visual approach?

This page is part of the Simply SharePoint knowledge base — a growing, public resource designed to help you understand how Microsoft 365 fits together and how to collaborate more effectively.

If you’d rather follow a structured, step-by-step approach, the Simply SharePoint Workflow Cards turn this guidance into clear visual workflows you can use in real work scenarios.

Each card shows what to do, when to do it, and why — with QR codes that link back to deeper explanations like this one.

👉 Explore the Simply SharePoint Workflow Cards

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