Outlook Tasks Vs To Do

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Microsoft task/list applications: Lists vs. To-Do vs. Planner vs. Tasks

  1. Task management app within Teams to help user manage and prioritize their work generated, aggregated tasks from across Microsoft’s portfolio of productivity and collaboration tools; Aggregated tasks can come from Microsoft Lists, To-Do, Planner, e-mails, chats, Office Docs, Outlook, Cortana, Launcher, Word, and soon Excel/PowerPoint (late 2020).
  2. The Tasks app in Teams brings together your individual tasks from To Do and your team tasks from Planner in one view so you can see at a glance what has to get done. Learn more Using To Do with flagged email in Outlook.
List

Recent announcements with Microsoft’s task-oriented applications have left many of our customers left to wonder:

Outlook Tasks Vs To Do
  • When do I use which Microsoft task application?
  • What is the use-case for each?
  • How do they work together?

Below is a breakdown:

  • Microsoft Lists:
    • Meant to be the next evolution of SharePoint Tasks Lists
    • For Work Management, work tracking
    • Create, share, and track structured information with the ability to create, collect, view, filter, sort, collaborate, share, etc. across status, life cycle, ownership, etc.
    • Builds on the value of SharePoint lists to help users track and prioritize content calendars, contact lists, issue tracking, inventory, contract renewals, event itineraries, ticket submission, status reporting, employee on boarding, business trip approvals, deal milestones, roadmaps, FAQ’s, spend, KPI’s, patient rounding in healthcare, and more
    • Can further integrate with the Power Platform to design and build productivity apps alongside Power Apps (custom forms) and Power Automate (custom flows)
    • Think of Lists then as the underlying database for IW-led ‘productivity apps’
  • Microsoft To-Do:
    • Task management for individuals, their view on tasks
    • Includes tasks assigned to them
  • Microsoft Planner:
    • Task management for the team
    • In Teams, Planner will now be viewed through the ‘Microsoft Tasks’ app starting August 2020
  • Microsoft Tasks:
    • Aggregates all the Microsoft 365 task applications into a single comprehensive view
    • Task management app within Teams to help user manage and prioritize their work generated, aggregated tasks from across Microsoft’s portfolio of productivity and collaboration tools
    • Aggregated tasks can come from Microsoft Lists, To-Do, Planner, e-mails, chats, Office Docs, Outlook, Cortana, Launcher, Word, and soon Excel/PowerPoint (late 2020)

The Tasks area in Outlook 2013 helps you create and manage action items for yourself and others. Not only can Outlook keep track of what you need to do, but it can also remind you of upcoming deadlines, record what percentage of a large job you’ve completed, and even send out e-mails that assign certain.

#MicrosoftLists #MicrosoftToDo #MicrosoftPlanner #MicrosoftTasks

Feb 12, 2013

I get this question a lot about the MYN/1MTD system: Should I put new tasks on my task list, or on my calendar?

Simple Rule of Thumb:

How To Use Outlook Tasks

  • If an item must be done at a certain time on a certain day, then put it on your calendar; and set a pop-up reminder for it.
  • But if an item can be done at any time on a day, then use your task list.

Even it it’s due today, if there is no specific time it is due today, use your task list (and in 1MTD/MYN, put it in the Critical Now section). Don’t use your calendar.

Microsoft Task Vs To Do

One reason for this rule is that if you do not complete an item, it will stay on task list into the next day reminding you to do it. But a calendar item does not auto-forward to the next day and you may lose it. Free itools for mac. Also, it’s hard to prioritize tasks if you only list them on your calendar.

Outlook Tasks Vs To Do

Some exceptions to this rule of thumb:

  • If you know it may take a fair amount of time to do the task, and you are worried you may not leave enough time in the day for it, block out some time for it on your calendar (even if it is not due at a certain time).
  • If you have a task that has no specific time, but you really want a pop-up alert for it (say at the beginning of the day), in Outlook you should put it on your calendar and use the calendar reminder. That’s because the reminder feature for tasks in Outlook is unreliable.
Outlook Tasks Vs To Do

Outlook 2013 Tasks Vs To Do List

That’s it! Questions? Thoughts? Leave a reply.

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Michael