[Microsoft 365] Minimize task management time! Let’s use “ToDo”

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A task management tool that is now indispensable for advancing work.
Microsoft 365 services also have built-in tools for task and project management.

Task management with Microsoft 365

Various task management tools have been released, but if you’re a Microsoft 365 user, we recommend trying the Microsoft 365 tools before considering external tools.

“ToDo” is a task management tool that anyone with a Microsoft account can use.

If you are a Microsoft 365 paid license user, you can link with Teams and Planner, and the usage will expand further.

Minimize “time for task management”

The ToDo screen is very simple. Since there are no extra menus on the screen, even those who are new to task management will be familiar with it and can operate it intuitively.

This is a very important factor for task management tools.

“I don’t know how to use the tool” “It’s messy and hard to see” “There are too many items and it takes time to create tasks”

Such tools are inefficient because they increase the number of man-hours required for task management.

With ToDo, you can easily create tasks with a single action, so task management is not a burden.

The advantage of ToDo is that you can continue to do it every day without overdoing it.

How to use ToDo basics

ToDo is a list-style tool that can be used like a memo. It is also useful for quickly summarizing small daily tasks and ideas.

Start ToDo and create a task.

Launch ToDo

There are three ways to use To Do.

  • Web browser
  • desktop app
  • mobile app

If you sign in with the same account, your tasks will be synced, so you can instantly access your tasks wherever you are, at home, in the office, or on the go.

Launch in web browser

  1. Sign in to Office.com ( https://www.office.com/ ).
  2. Click “App Launcher” on the upper left and select “ToDo”.
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Start with desktop app

A desktop app is available for Windows PCs.

  1. Search for “Microsoft ToDo” in the Microsoft Store, or jump to the store from the official website ( https://to-do.office.com/tasks/ ) and install it on your computer.
  2. Launch the app and sign in with your account.

Launch with mobile app

Mobile apps are available for Android and iOS.

  1. Search for “Microsoft ToDo” in the app store or access the official website ( https://to-do.office.com/tasks/ ) from your mobile device and install it.
  2. Open the app and sign in with your account.

Create a list

A “list” is a group of tasks that can be freely added by the user.

By default, a list called “Tasks” is prepared. You can use this list at first, and then create more lists to categorize your tasks as they grow.

To create a list in the desktop app for your computer, follow these steps:

  1. Click New List at the bottom of the navigation bar.
  2. Click the title area and enter the list name.
  3. By clicking “…” in the upper right, you can set the background image and customize the sort order.

Add task

Adding a task is as easy as entering the task name.

Since the new task addition field is always displayed on the screen, it will be completed in a few seconds on a computer or a smartphone.

You can make detailed Zoom webinar window smaller, other options will move to [ Details ]. There are also new settings later, so don’t forget to enter the task first.

  1. In the navigation bar, select the list you want to add the task to.
  2. Enter the task name in the “Add task” field to complete the creation.

Option setting

Clicking on a task opens the options screen, allowing you to make more detailed customizations.

Please use it to clarify work frequency and priority.

Add step

Task work can be subdivided and added as “steps” for each process.

For example, for “Purchase a desk”,

  • product selection
  • Request for quotation
  • Order form creation
  • delivery of materials

Add something like this to the step.

The steps are a checklist, and when you click it, it will be completed, so you can see the progress at a glance.

Set due date

If there is a deadline, be sure to set an expiration date.

On the day of the event, it will be displayed in the “Today’s schedule” list, so if you check “Today’s schedule” every day, you will not miss it.

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Notification settings

This is an item to set the date and time for reminder notification.

For the date and time, you can select “a few hours later”, “tomorrow”, “next week”, or “arbitrary date and time”.

However, even if you want to notify at an arbitrary date and time, you can not specify it at any time for 24 hours, but you can select from the preset times of “morning”, “noon”, “evening” and “night”.

repetition

Set a recurrence pattern for the task.

If you set the routine work to repeat, there is no need to recreate the task.

You can select “Daily”, “Weekdays”, “Weekly”, “Monthly”, “Yearly”, or “User setting“.

attaching file

You can attach files to tasks.

If you attach the files necessary for the work here, you can refer to them immediately.

memo

Since ToDo is a list-based tool, only task titles are displayed in the list.

If you want to leave a detailed comment about the task, write it in the memo field.

Microsoft 365 tools that can work with ToDo

The benefits of collaboration across Microsoft 365 tools cannot be realized with other task management tools.

Introducing Microsoft 365 tools that can work with ToDo.

Planner

“Planner” is another Microsoft 365 task management tool.

The difference from ToDo is that Planner is designed for team task management.

It is also suitable for managing large projects because it works with Teams teams and channels.

Planner is synced with ToDo, so when a task is assigned to you on Planner, it will appear in ToDo’s “Assigned to me”.

In ToDo’s “Today’s schedule”, you can check the tasks created in ToDo and the tasks assigned in Planner at once. ToDo is convenient when you want to check your tasks in a little free time.

Teams

Teams allows you to add any app to the left navigation bar.

You can check tasks created in ToDo and Planner on Teams by adding the task app by following the steps below.

  1. Click “Apps” in the navigation bar.
  2. Select “Planner and ToDo Tasks” and click “Add” to add it to the navigation bar.
  3. “My Tasks” shows ToDo tasks, and “Shared Plans” shows Planner team tasks.
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Outlook

You can open ToDo in Outlook by clicking the ToDo icon in the Outlook navigation bar.

Outlook originally had a task tool, but now “ToDo” is also built into Outlook, making two task management tools side by side.

Since Outlook’s task tool and ToDo are not linked, it is better to move long-term or repetitive tasks to ToDo.

Article Summary

  • ToDo is a free Microsoft task management tool
  • Simple and light, suitable for personal task management and memorandum
  • Can be linked with “Planner”, “Teams”, and “Outlook” of Microsoft 365

With ToDo, you can easily create tasks with only the minimum number of items, and handle large amounts of tasks stress-free.

It is a tool that we would like you to use by all means even for those who have not continued task management so far.

If you have a Microsoft 365 license, you can even integrate it into Teams and Outlook and move seamlessly between tools.

To improve your work efficiency, why not use ToDo to save the time you spend managing tasks?