Add a buffer to that email you wish you hadn’t sent
We have all sent e-mails that we later regretted (usually that regret comes seconds after hitting the “send” button). If you are running Outlook along with Exchange, you can occasionally recall/replace the message. However, message recall doesn’t tend to work if you:
- Wait too long to recall
- Sent the e-mail to a distribution list
- Sent a really really stupid email that you would give anything to get back
If only there were a way to add a delay of just a few minutes between hitting the “send” button and having the bits actually hit the wire.
Fortunately, there is! You can do it on a per-email basis using the following steps:
In the message, click Options.
Under Delivery options, select the Do not deliver before check box, and then click the delivery date and time you want.
If you are like me, however, you do not remember to check this box before sending a regrettable e-mail. So, let’s setup a global delay for all e-mails.
On the Tools menu, click Rules and Alerts, and then click New Rule.
Select Start from a blank rule.
In the Step 1: Select when messages should be checked box, click Check messages after sending, and then click Next.
In the Step 1: Select condition(s) list, select any options you want, and then click Next. (For example, you can have the delay only apply to e-mails you send to a particular Distribution List or a specific co-worker)
If you do not select any check boxes, a confirmation dialog box appears. Clicking Yes applies this rule to all messages you send.
In the Step 1: Select action(s) list, select defer delivery by a number of minutes. Delivery can be delayed up to two hours.
In the Step 2: Edit the rule description (click on an underlined value) box, click the underlined phrase a number of and enter the number of minutes you want messages held before sending.
Click OK, and then click Next.
Select any exceptions, and then click Next.
In the Step 1: Specify a name for this rule box, type a name for the rule.
Click Finish.
Voila! you now have <whatever number you picked> minutes to go into your outbox and edit the email to include a forgotten attachment, rephrase your scathing attack on someone’s integrity, or delete the e-mail altogether until you have had time to sleep on your reply.