Do you have an e-mail in MS Outlook you know you need to reply to, but you just don't have the time right now?

I know you hate to just leave the e-mail sitting there though, because let's face it, there's a very good chance you'll completely forget about it.

So, what can you do to ensure you address the situation on time?

Well, I can think of a couple of things. First, you could set up an appointment for the message.

Yep, that's right, I said appointment. You can turn that e-mail into an appointment so that Outlook reminds you to take care of the situation before it's too late.

To create an appointment for your message, simply drag and drop it into the Calendar section on the Outlook Bar (or drag it to the Calendar folder).

A new appointment will open up with the body of the message already there. Next, simply complete your normal steps for setting up appointments (don't forget to set enough reminder time for yourself to get the job done) and hit the Close and Save button.

With the appointment set, you'll be reminded to handle the message just like you're reminded about any other appointment you create.

A second way to get Outlook to give you a helping hand when it comes to that message you just can't forget is to use message flags.

To flag a message, select it and right click.

In older versions of MS Outlook, you'll see this:

From the menu that opens, choose Follow Up.

The Flag for Follow Up dialogue window will then open, allowing you to set up some basic information.

When you've set everything to your liking, click OK.

Now, for those of you working with Outlook 2007, here's what you'll find.

When you right click on the message, you'll find that the Follow Up choice opens as a submenu.

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You can quickly pick one of the Quick Flag times offered or choose Add Reminder, which will open the following dialogue window:

Set your preferences and click OK.

Outlook will remind you about this item if the flag has not been cleared by the due date/time you set. (That's right, this option isn't a reminder before the time you set, rather it actually lets you know right after the time it was due).

When a message has a Follow Up Flag, there's a red flag displayed with the message (in Outlook 2007, instead of a red flag, you'll see the text "Follow Up") as a visual reminder that the e-mail requires your attention.

Once you've completed the job, right click on the message again and choose Flag Complete or Mark Complete (depending on your version of Outlook).

To remove a Follow Up Flag, completely right click on the message and choose Clear Flag from the menu.

There you have it! Two ways you can deal with an e-mail message later on, without it slipping your mind. Yep, Outlook's got you covered!