hanging/stalling outlook – simple guidance needed to fix

Every 30 seconds or so my outlook is freezing/hanging (with the dial appearing) for around 10 seconds. It appears on the forum that many people have this problem but there are a range of suggestions of how to fix it, many of which do not include very clear explanations of the steps to take and what they actually mean (ie 'set up a new identity').

I've taken to working offline to get bulk work done before switching the airport connection back on.

My email comes via a 1and1 imap account. I have IMAP idle switched off.

If the answer is setting up a new identity could you explain how that could affect my current inbox, folders and contacts, or what I can do to ensure it doesn't affect them at all.

Any help appreciated.