Section 77. Create and Manage Tasks

77. Create and Manage Tasks

SEE ALSO

10 Synchronize PIM Data with Your PC

78 Apply Categories to Tasks

79 Tweak Task Options

Creating a new task on your BlackBerry device is as simple as naming the task and filling in some details regarding when the task is due, how important the task is, and so on. You can get surprisingly detailed in how you schedule tasks. For example, you can create recurring tasks that occur at a specific date and time or on certain days of the week. The Tasks application provides a great deal of flexibility in the scheduling of tasks. The task list within the Tasks application provides you with a quick glimpse at the status of tasks thanks to the small icons that appear to the left of each task. As you start and complete tasks, you'll change the status of the tasks and see their respective icons change in the task list.

1.	Open the Applications Screen Scroll to the Applications icon on the Home screen and click the trackwheel. The Applications screen appears, offering a list of applications, including the Tasks application. 77. Create and Manage Tasks
2.	Launch the Tasks Application Scroll to the Tasks icon and click the trackwheel. The Tasks application is launched and displayed on the screen. If you haven't created any tasks yet, the task list is likely empty. However, if you've synchronized tasks with your desktop PC, you might see some tasks in the list. TIP If you already use tasks in a PIM client such as Microsoft Outlook, consider synchronizing PIM data between your BlackBerry device and your desktop PC using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software. See 10 Synchronize PIM Data with Your PC . If your company uses the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, you might have access to wireless synchronization with your PIM data. Check with your network administrator to see whether this service is available.
3.	Create a New Task Click the trackwheel and select New from the menu that appears. Click again to begin creating a new task; the New screen appears.
4.	Enter the Task Details The first field you must enter for a new task is the name of the task, which should be concise yet descriptive. In the example, I named the task Do Taxes as a reminder of when my taxes are due. The Status of the task indicates how far you are along in completing the task. Possible options include Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Waiting , and Deferred . Every task has a priority that is set with the Priority field. A task's priority can be set to Low, Normal , or High , with Normal being the default setting. Some tasks have a specific due date, while others are more open-ended. If the task you are creating has a due date, set the Due field to By Date . After doing so, a date appears below the Due field that allows you to specify the due date. Use the trackwheel to scroll through the due date and set the exact date and time for the task. Regardless of the due date, every task has a time zone associated with it. The Time Zone field defaults to the time zone you set for your device; see 3 Set the Date and Time . An important part of creating a task is establishing a reminder for it. Not every task requires a reminder, but many do. Decide whether you want to be reminded on a specific date or relative to the due date of the task. I recommend the latter approach because, if you change the due date at some point in the future, the reminder will automatically change. To set a relative reminder, select Relative in the Reminder field and choose an amount of time before the due date for the reminder. To set a reminder for a specific date, select By Date for the Reminder field and then select a date. The Recurrence field enables you to create a task that recurs on a regular schedule. A good example of a recurring task is an expense report you must file once a month. To set the task as a recurring task, change the Recurrence field from None to Daily, Weekly, Monthly , or Yearly . Based on this setting, additional fields appear that enable you to get more specific about the task recurrence. You can get very detailed with the recurrence of a task. For example, you can select Weekly in the Recurrence field and then select 2 in the Every field that appears. Then select M and F as the days for the recurring task, and the task will take place every other Monday and Friday. NOTE When you create a recurring task, only one instance of the task appears until you complete the task; make sure you don't mark the task completed until after you finish creating it. At that point, the completed task is shown with a completion icon next it, while the next occurrence of the task immediately appears as a new task. The last two properties of the new task allow you to categorize the task and add extra notes about it. Extra notes are entirely up to your discretion and whether you have extra information to enter about the task. The Categories field enables you to choose categories for the task, which can be helpful in organizing tasks. When you double-click the Categories field, the Select Categories screen appears. You have complete control over these categories and can create and delete them as part of the organization of PIM data, including tasks.
5.	Select Categories for the Task The Select Categories screen enables you to select one or more categories that apply to the task. This is a handy way to organize tasks. For example, I selected Personal as the category for the Do Taxes task to indicate that this is a personal task that has nothing to do with work. You might opt to create detailed categories to further distinguish between different types of work tasks; see 78 Apply Categories to Tasks .
6.	Save and View the Task When you finish editing the new task, click the trackwheel, select Save from the menu that appears, and click again. The new task is saved and added to the task list. Any reminders you set for the task are activated.
7.	Mark the Task Completed When you create a task, it appears in the task list with a small icon to the left of it that indicates its current status. You can easily distinguish between completed versus not-started or in-progress tasks by looking at their icons; you can also double-click a task to see all its details. By double-clicking and editing a task, you can access the Status field and change it to update the status of the task. There is also a shortcut for marking tasks as Completed just click the task, select Mark Completed from the menu that appears, and click again.

TIPS

You can also reverse the status of a completed task back to In Progress by clicking the task, selecting Mark In Progress from the menu that appears, and clicking again.

To delete a task regardless of its status, click the task, select Delete from the menu that appears, and click again. A pop-up confirmation window appearsjust click Delete to confirm the deletion. If the task is a recurring task, you'll be prompted to Delete All Events, Delete First Event , or Cancel the deletion. You can also delete all completed tasks at once by clicking anywhere in the Tasks application, selecting Delete Completed , and clicking again.