Calendar Appointments or Tasks - which do you prefer?
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." Mark Twain
Outlook Calendar Appointments and Outlook Tasks both allow you to do the following:
Setup as recurring (repeating)
Color code for organization
Setup reminders
However, with Outlook Tasks, you can do a bit more. The Tasks feature is really setup to be able to tasks that you manage, not just your own.
To Assign a Task, use the following procedure.
Select New Task from the Home tab on the Ribbon. The following window will open.
Select Assign Task.
The window will change just as an Outlook Calendar Appointment changes when you select to Add Recipients when creating an invitation.
3. Select the To (recipients) just as you would for sending an email message.
4. Select the Subject, Start Date, Due Date, Status, Priority, % Complete, and any additional details in the body of the task just as you would for any task. The recipients can read anything in the body (or attachments) just as if it were an email message.
5. Select Send.
When the person you assigned the task makes any updates to the task status, you will receive a copy.
This is a great way to keep track of projects that your team is working on, especially when you do not have access to another program. Or when you just need a very simple system to keep track of tasks.
As the quote from Mark Twain states, you should break up complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks. Using the Outlook Tasks can help you do just that. When there is a large project and you have a few co-workers working on various pieces of the project, this can keep things simple. This also keeps everyone accountable for their portion of the project.
Try Outlook Tasks with just one of your projects and let me know how it helped you.
If you're interested in learning how to use Outlook for Time & Task Management, download my FREE 65 Ways to Use MS Office to be More Productive! eBook.
