Creating and Updating Tasks


If you use your task list diligently, you will frequently add tasks to it. You can create one-time or recurring tasks from scratch in different ways, or add an existing Outlook item (such as a message) to the task list by flagging it for follow-up. Regardless of how or where you create a task, all tasks are available in the Tasks module and the To-Do Bar Task List.

See Also Another way to add a task to your list is by accepting an assigned task. For more information, see "Managing Task Assignments" later in this chapter.

The only information you must include when creating a task is the subject. You can also specify the following:

  • Start date

  • Due date

  • Status (Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Waiting On Someone, or Deferred)

  • Priority (Normal, Low, or High)

  • Reminder (date and time)

  • Recurrence (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, how soon the next recurrence should appear in your task list, and for how long)

  • Category

You can attach files to tasks, and you can include text, tables, charts, illustrations, hyperlinks, and other content in the task window content pane by using the same commands you use in other Outlook item windows and in other 2007 Office system programs, such as Microsoft Office Word.

To quickly create a new task, you can type the task subject in the Type A New Task box at the top of either the To-Do Bar Task List or the To-Do List in the Tasks module, and then press Enter. Outlook adds the new task to the list of tasks due today. From any view of the task list, you can assign the task to a category, change the due date, add a reminder, mark the task as complete, or delete the task entirely. To access these commands, right-click the task name, category, or flag, and then click the option you want.

To create a task with more detail, on the Standard toolbar, click Task in the New list (or if you're in the Tasks module, click the New Task button) to open a task window. There you can specify the start date, due date, status, and priority of the task, set a reminder, add billing information, or assign the task to someone else.

Outlook doesn't automatically set a reminder for tasks as it does for calendar items. To automatically set reminders for time-limited tasks, click Options on the Tools menu, click Task Options, select the Set Reminders On Tasks With Due Dates check box, and click OK. Set the default reminder time in the Tasks area of the Options dialog box, and then click OK.

In the Task Options dialog box , you can also change the color in which Outlook displays overdue and completed tasks.

image from book

When the reminder date and time arrive, a reminder window opens on your screen. If you have completed the task, click Dismiss to reset the reminder to None. If you haven't yet completed the task and would like to be reminded again at a later time, click the reminder time you want in the Snooze list, and then click Snooze . You can also open the task window directly from the reminder window by clicking Open Item. You can make changes of any type as though you had opened the task from the Tasks pane, and then close the task window to effect those changes.

Sometimes you might want to include information from an e-mail message, appointment, or other item on your task list, to ensure that you complete any necessary follow-up work by a certain date. In Outlook 2007, you can create a task from almost any item by dragging it to the Tasks button in the Navigation Pane.

See Also For more information about creating tasks from e-mail messages, see "Creating a Task or an Appointment from a Message" in Chapter 4, "Handling E-Mail Messages."

In this exercise, you will create and update tasks from the To-Do Bar Task List and from the Tasks pane. There are no practice files for this exercise.

BE SURE TO display the Tasks pane and the To-Do Bar before beginning this exercise.

  1. On the To-Do Bar, click the Type a new task box, type SBS Dinner Reservations, and then press image from book.

    Outlook adds the task to your task list, and it appears as a task due today in both the To-Do Bar Task List and the To-Do List.

  2. In the To-Do List, click the new task.

    The task details appear in the Reading Pane. The information available for a task varies depending on the type of task (created from scratch or converted from another Outlook item) and the detail entered in the task window.

    image from book

  3. In the To-Do Bar Task List, right-click the flag following the SBS Dinner Reservations task, and then click This Week.

    In both task lists, the task moves to the This Week group. In the Reading Pane, the due date changes to Friday of the current week.

    Troubleshooting 

    Flagging a task for completion This Week sets the start date to the first working day of the week and the due date to the last working day of the week. If your work week is set to something other than Monday through Friday, the start and due dates will reflect that.

  4. Right-click the Category bar following the SBS Dinner Reservations task, and then in the list, click Management.

    The Category bar in both task lists, changes to yellow to indicate that the task is business management-related, and the yellow Management color category bar appears at the top of the task in the Reading Pane.

    Troubleshooting 

    If you did not create the Management category in an earlier exercise, click any color category.

  5. Double-click the SBS Dinner Reservations task to open it in a task window.

  6. In the task content pane, type Confirm that the restaurant has a private dining room available for the Board Meeting.

    image from book

  7. image from book On the Task tab, in the Show group, click the Details button.

    image from book

    Notice the type of information you can track on the Details page. This could be useful when tracking billable tasks for clients.

  8. image from book In the Actions group, click the Save & Close button.

    The task window closes.

  9. image from book On the Standard toolbar, click the New Task button.

    An untitled task window opens.

  10. In the Subject box, type SBS Send Dinner Invitations.

  11. Click the Due date arrow, and then on the calendar, click the Tuesday of the next week (not of the current week).

    On the calendar, a red outline indicates the current date, and a yellow square indicates the current due date.

    Tip 

    You can't assign a task a due date that has already passed.

  12. Select the Reminder check box.

  13. In the content pane, type Invite all Board members, including spouses. Then in the Actions group, click the Save & Close button.

    Outlook adds the task to your task list, and it appears in the Next Week group in both the To-Do Bar Task List and the To-Do List. The bell in the task header indicates that a reminder is set for the task.

  14. In the Tasks pane, double-click the SBS Dinner Reservations task.

    For the purposes of this exercise, assume that you are waiting for the banquet manager to confirm whether a private dining room is available. You want to update the task to reflect your progress, and also remind yourself to call again if you don't hear from her by the end of the day.

  15. Click the Status arrow, and then in the list, click Waiting on someone else.

  16. In the % Complete box, type or select (by clicking the arrows) 25%.

  17. In the task content pane, on a new line, type

    Left message for banquet manager-will call back today.

  18. Select the Reminder check box. Click the first Reminder arrow, and then on the calendar, click Today.

  19. Click the second Reminder arrow, and then in the list, click 5:00 PM (or if it's already after 5:00 P.M., click a later time).

    image from book

CLOSE the task, saving your work for use in a later exercise.




Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Step by Step
The Time Management Toolkit: MicrosoftВ® Office OutlookВ® 2007 Step by Step and Take Back Your Life (Step By Step (Microsoft))
ISBN: 0735625840
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 137

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