Resource Review: Microsoft To-Do
It can be very difficult to keep up with all of the tasks you have been given, as well as those that you assign yourself to keep on top of your goals and objectives.
I have already offered resource reviews on a few of my favorite task management systems including Asana and ToDoIst. These are excellent when you work in teams or independently — and given the choice, would always be on my list.
Indeed — for all things outside of my “at work” workflows, I still use ToDoIst. It is less efficient to have two workflows but has the added advantage of letting me step away from work at the end of my day and focusing only on the tasks in ToDoIst — for my volunteer work, blogs, family, and home-focused tasks.
I have recently been working in a corporate IT environment where my ability to download and install certain applications, like ToDoIst, and to set up the integrations and task management workflows is restricted. This has forced me to look at the available alternatives — for example, the Microsoft ToDo, to fill the similar functions I have been used to using.
Microsoft ToDo requires you have a Microsoft account. The software can then be accessed through a web browser, as an app on your phone, or as a desktop application on your computer. Microsoft ToDo is available for free and will sync easily across all of those locations giving you flexibility in using the application.
When you log into the software, the first thing you see is Your Day, listing all of the tasks that are due today. This helps with focus and prioritization.
Tasks can be arranged in lists by selecting <New List> on the lower portion of the window. This is helpful in sorting your tasks by project or type. For example, at work, I keep a Task List of Weekly Administrative Tasks that I need to keep up and work on in a time block on my calendar called <Administrative Tasks>.
Lists can be shared with someone within your same Microsoft network or organization if you are working collaboratively. They can also be printed off if you like the old-fashioned ability to check off things you have completed, or emailed out.
When you create a New Task by clicking on <Add a Task> you will only be able to name the task. However, by clicking on that task in your list you have a lot of information you can add to each task.
If your tasks have a series of sub-tasks (as seen in the made-up example above) you can detail each subtask. Each subtask can also be promoted to a full task simply by selecting the three dots to the right of that task name.
Within a task, you can also set reminder times, and due dates, repeat task timelines and add supporting files and notes. Once a task is complete, the next one will be automatically created by ToDo.
All tasks in ToDo will synchronize across the phone App, browser application and desktop application.
Microsoft ToDo can be integrated with Microsoft Outlook, where tasks are synchronized between Outlook and ToDo. Any task closed in ToDo will be closed in Outlook and vice versa. This synchronization is limited to Exchange or Microsoft 3654 accounts, as long as the same Microsoft account is logged into both ToDo and Outlook. Since tasks are stored on the online servers, they can be stored in both places.
Please note — as of the time this was written, while the data you enter in additional details in Outlook Tasks will be stored safely on the servers, it won’t be displayed in To Do. Specifically, Microsoft ToDo doesn’t currently support the start and end dates, task status, task completion percentage, multiple priority levels, task work hours, task colors, or categories that are available in Outlook Tasks.
However — tasks in Outlook can be integrated into your Calendar and workflow easily. Tasks can be directly dragged from Outlook to the Calendar to enable time-blocking. Emails can be dragged to the Task Bar to create a task with all of the details of the email.
Really — Microsoft ToDo is a simple task management tool — with simple features. The true strength of ToDo lies in the native integration into the Microsoft software suite — and specifically Outlook and OneNote. If you are looking for something with advanced options like Kanban, time tracking, etc — ToDo is not the right choice for you. If you are looking for a simple way to keep track of what you need to do, with reminders — and you want something standalone outside of Outlook Tasks — ToDo might just fit the bill. If you are stuck with only those things allowed by your company, ToDo can be strong-armed into giving you some basic insights and visualizations — though you may end up using Outlook Tasks for the heavy lifting side of task management.
All resources reviewed here are tools and resources I personally have tried and used. Many are currently part of my own toolkit. Every resource reviewed is either free to access or is something I have paid for as part of my toolkit.
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