One of my bad habits is to “file” stuff in my inbox. A lot of it is project related that I read and forget to file (often on a mobile device the triage is a little hard remember when you’re quickly flitting through email), a lot is stuff I read and think I should delete… but forget to.

Well, enter Auto-Mate from Pergenex Software. It’s one of a suite of Outlook add-ins that they have to make life easier and extend the product you probably use every day to make you more productive.

Within a few minutes of installing it I had some rules set up to find and file away a bunch of project related emails that frankly I’d been too lazy to sort out… and my mailbox is starting to feel more responsive and well behaved with each new rule.

It’s not just about filing old messages though. With careful use you can create a rule to handle just about any situation and have it react as mails come in (for instance letting you create customized Out Of Office messages for different projects or clients).

It has a standard and pro version and both come with a free 30 day trial so you can take the rules for a test drive before committing. I think I’m sold ;)