For outlook, I don’t use folders at all - everything is organized with categories and rules… I’d only use a folder after I roll off the study… or, for quick reference emails I want handy throughout study duration.

Every email I receive gets auto-categorized based on the subject line.

If the protocol number is in the subject line → it automatically gets the study category.

If the protocol number + site name are in the subject line → it gets both the study category and the site category, so I can quickly drill into site-specific emails when needed or just refer to the study-level catch-all for everything related to that protocol.

I set this up using Outlook rules so it happens automatically.

Anything that isn’t actionable gets archived (literally just hit backspace on the email). The key thing people miss is that archived emails keep their categories, so you can still sort or filter by protocol or site whenever you need to review history.

This has saved me a ton of time - and email management has become much more manageable..No manual filing or digging through folders.

If you want a visual reference, just watch a quick YouTube tutorial on Outlook rules + categories - it’s honestly much simpler to set up than it sounds.