how to set up a task in outlook

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How to Set a Meeting Agenda

Setting a solid meeting agenda ensures the success of the meeting. It helps you stay on track and accomplish important goals. Here are some steps you can take when setting a meeting agenda.

Get Input From the Team

Especially when the meeting is collaborative in nature rather than informative, getting input from the team can help you craft the agenda. For example, if you’re putting together an agenda for a staff meeting, you can create a basic list of topics and send them out to your team. That way, if someone has an important item they’d like to bring up to discuss with the group, you can add it to the official agenda. Keep in mind that not all of your team members’ input will be applicable, so stick to topics that affect everyone rather than items that can be discusses in smaller groups.

Start With a Template

Depending on the type of meeting you’re putting together, the agenda may need to be detailed and professional. A good example of this would be a board meeting agenda, which is of utmost importance since top members of the organization will be part of the meeting.

Rather than start the process from scratch, you can download a template online. This will help you ensure that you capture all of the important pieces that should go into an agenda. Templates are available through the Microsoft Office website, and they range from conference agendas, education agendas and more.

Create the Header

The header of the agenda should include all of the pertinent details, like the date, time and place. If you are catering to people outside of your business during the meeting, you can also add your business name, address, phone number and website. For a visual impact, add the business logo.

Outline the Agenda

The next step is to put together the body of the agenda. You might use bullet points with numbers or letters. Some people like to use tables to keep the information organized. If you want to emphasize the time table for the meeting, add an “Estimated Time” column to indicate how long you expect each agenda item to take. That way, you can make sure that everyone is on track.

Send the Agenda

Once you have an agenda set, you can send it out to the participants. You might get more feedback on items that need to be changed or added. That gives you enough time to make any necessary changes before handing out the final copy on the day of the meeting.

Create tasks and to-do items

Many people keep a list of things to do — on paper, in a spreadsheet, or by using a combination of paper and electronic methods. In Outlook, you can combine your various lists into one list, enhanced with reminders and tracking.

Create a task

Select New Items > Task or press Ctrl+Shift+K.

In the Subject box, enter a name for the task. It's best to keep the name short and then add the details in the task body.

If there’s a fixed start or end date, set the Start date or Due date .

Set the task’s priority by using Priority .

If you want a pop-up reminder, check Reminder , and set the date and time.

Click Task > Save & Close .

Create a task from an Outlook item

You can create a task out of any Outlook item, such as e-mail message, contact, calendar item, or note.

Do one of the following:

Drag an e-mail message to the To-Do Bar

Drag an item to the Tasks icon in the Navigation Pane.

Tip: To add the item as an attachment to a new task instead of pasting the text into the task body, right-click the item and drag it to the task list, and then click Copy Here as Task with Attachment .

Create a task in the To-Do Bar

To create a task in the To-Do Bar, do one of the following:

In the To-Do Bar, select the Type a new task box, and then enter the task description. Press ENTER to finish. The task appears in your To-Do list with today's date.

In the To-Do Bar, double-click the Type a new task box to open a new task window. You can enter more detail about the task.

Tip: To turn on and show Tasks in the To-Do Bar, on the View tab, in the Layout group, select To-Do Bar and select Tasks . For more information about the To-Do Bar, see Use and customize the To-Do bar .

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Outlook Tips

How to create a task in Outlook?

Leaving in such a fast-paced world, most of us are fully occupied and keep a list of things to do — on paper, in a spreadsheet, or with a combination of paper and electronic methods. Microsoft Outlook provides a central location to dump all tasks/ideas, so you can combine various lists into one, and then you can get things done efficiently. The following article will show you how to create a task.

Create a Task in Outlook

1. Launch your Outlook.

2. In Outlook 2013 and 2010, make sure that you are in the Tasks section, then click Home > New Task .

Tip : Keyboard shortcut: press Ctrl + Shift + K to open the task editing window.

Note : In Outlook 2007, click File > New > Task .

3. The New Task editing window will pop up. In this window you can:

A: Type a name for the task in the Subject column.

B: Choose your start date and due date .

C: Describe the task's status .

D: Prioritize the task.

E: Check the Reminder box in order to get notice from the system.

F: You can also use the task tools on the ribbon to compose your task.

4. When you finish filling the task, click Save & Close to save your task and close the window.

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How to Assign a Task in Microsoft Outlook

When collaborating on a task, you may want to assign it to colleagues. To assign a task in Outlook, follow these six steps.

This feature works the same in all modern versions of Microsoft Outlook: 2010, 2013, and 2016.

Your colleague can now add the task to his or her task list.

Try the Outlook for Lawyers Course for Free!

Turn emails into tasks in outlook- instructions.

A picture showing how to turn emails into tasks by clicking and dragging an email onto the “Tasks” folder in Outlook.

Overview of How to Turn Emails into Tasks in Outlook

You can easily turn emails into tasks in Outlook. When you turn an email you receive into a task in Outlook, you keep the text of the email. You will also keep any phone numbers or other information the email contains within the new task. After the email is converted into a task, you can then set a reminder date, as well as other task information.

To turn emails into tasks in Outlook, click and drag the desired email onto your “Tasks” folder within the Folder Pane or Navigation Bar. When you release the mouse button, Outlook converts the email into a task. It then displays the content within a task window. In the task window, you can then set associated task information, like a reminder date, due date, or task category. After creating the task, click the “Save & Close” button in the Ribbon of the “Task” window to save it.

A picture showing how to turn emails into tasks by clicking and dragging an email onto the “Tasks” folder in Outlook.

Instructions on how to turn emails into tasks in outlook.

Video Lesson on How to Create a Task from an Email in Outlook

The following video lesson, titled “ Turning Emails into Tasks ,” shows you how to convert an email you receive into a task in Outlook. This video lesson is from our complete Outlook for lawyers tutorial , titled “ Mastering Outlook Made Easy for Lawyers v.2019 and 365 .”

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A Quick Guide to Managing Tasks in Outlook in 2021

Task management for outlook users.

Microsoft Outlook may seem like a simple email client on the surface but those who’ve explored its features beyond the basics know that it’s far more powerful than it leads on.

Ever since email has become the de facto to-do list for many knowledge workers, Microsoft and other email providers have been quick to recognize this need, therefore implementing task management features into their systems.

If you’ve been looking for the best way to use Outlook for task management then take note of the following tips to take better control of your workload and ensure you never miss another work request again.

Tip #1: Use the built-in To Do integration

There’s no denying that Microsoft To Do is the best task manager with Outlook integration. With the To Do for Outlook add-in, you can quickly pull up a list of your to-dos while going through your emails.

In Outlook.com, click the My Day icon on the top right side of the page. Whenever you come across an email that requires further action, just drag and drop it to the My Day pane and choose whether you want to add it as a task or as an event in your calendar .

When you complete the task either in the To Do pane or in the actual To Do application, it’s also completed on the other end.

Another tried-and-tested method for tracking actionable emails in Outlook is to flag them. After flagging relevant messages , you can quickly switch to the To Do view by clicking the To Do icon in the lower-left corner of the Outlook navigation pane.

This will open up the To Do add-in for Outlook and from there, you can access a list of your flagged emails alongside other built-in smart lists such as Important, Planned, and Assigned to You. When you complete a task in To Do, the flag will be removed in Outlook and vice versa.

Take note that you can only choose one or the other method. You can’t combine both methods and expect a complete two-way workflow. For example, let’s say you drag an email to your To Do pane and flag the message from your inbox. When you complete the task in the To Do application, it’ll also be marked complete in the To Do for Outlook add-in but the message will remain flagged in your inbox.

This means that the first action you take will determine the connection that will be created. If you drag an email to the My Day pane first, the connection is formed between To Do for Outlook and the Tasks list in Microsoft To Do. If you flag a message first, it will sync your tasks between the Flagged emails list in To Do and your Outlook inbox.

Note: To Do for Outlook is replacing the classic Tasks plug-in but if you’re still using the latter, you may refer to this article for steps on how to use Tasks in Outlook effectively.

Tip #2: Show tasks on Outlook Calendar

Some tasks are more time-sensitive than others and for many busy professionals, blocking out certain parts of the day is an effective way to stay focused and on task. Luckily, task management for Outlook is easier than ever now that you can quickly schedule tasks into your calendar.

On the web version of Outlook, click the calendar icon on the bottom left part of the navigation pane to view your calendar. Next, click the My Day pane to open up your tasks from To Do.

To turn your task into an appointment, just drag it onto your calendar and you’re all set. If you open up the event in your calendar, you can invite others, add a reminder, and edit other details.

If you’re using the Outlook app, you can do the same thing following these steps:

This will open up your to-do list and all you have to do is drag a task to your calendar as we did from the web version.

Tip #3: Use Pleexy for a more tailored integration between Outlook and To Do

The native To Do integration seems like a very simple and straightforward approach to Outlook task management. But there’s just one limitation. The flagged email list in To Do only shows a maximum of 100 most recently flagged messages from the last 30 days .

If you normally deal with a large number of emails spread out in a longer period of time, you might want to consider using Pleexy’s Outlook integration . With Pleexy, you can connect Microsoft To Do with Outlook and it will automatically keep your tasks up to date whether you’re working from your to-do list or your inbox.

If you haven’t signed up for a Pleexy account yet, you can do so by simply logging in to your preferred Microsoft To Do account. On your Pleexy dashboard, choose Outlook as your source application and login to Microsoft Outlook. From there, you can customize the connection however it suits you best. Here’s how:

Step 1: Define your source

The first section lets you choose the folders where Pleexy should search for any flagged emails. You can bring in messages from your inbox , from all folders , or from select folders only.

You also have the option to ignore out-of-date emails by setting a date range. Pleexy will then ignore flagged emails that haven’t been updated in the specified number of days.

Step 2: Choose your destination

If you want to take your task organization up a notch, it helps to group your tasks in the same way wherever they are instead of dumping them all to one list in your to-do app. This is where Pleexy’s destination options come in handy.

You have two options:

With the second option, you can select a root project from the drop-down menu and Pleexy will create separate lists under it. For example, if you have a list called “Emails” in To Do, Pleexy will create separate sub-lists within that list for each of the Outlook folders you want to synchronize.

Step 3: Customize the integration

When you manage an Outlook to do list outside the email application, the lack of context can be confusing.

Fortunately, our Outlook integration lets you customize how your tasks are named in To Do through a combination of any of the following fields taken from your emails: subject, sender, date received, due date, and folder.

When it comes to tracking due dates, everyone has different preferences. With Pleexy, you can choose the direction of how changes will be synced. You can sync due date dates two-way, one-way, or not at all.

Just like the native To Do integration, you can sync the priority of your emails and add the email body to your task’s description in To Do.

Step 4: Choose what happens when tasks are completed or deleted

To wrap it all up, Pleexy lets you choose what happens in Outlook or To Do when tasks are completed or deleted on either side.

This way, you don’t have to lose so much time and energy to context switching . And if you want to keep a one-way sync of your changes, you’ll have the options for that too.

In just four easy steps through simple drop-down menus, you’ve now set up a powerful connection between two of the most widely used task management tools in Office 365.

Tip #4: Use Outlook and OneNote together

Microsoft’s integration between OneNote and Outlook is bidirectional. To start, make sure that the OneNote add in for Outlook has been enabled. Check out this article for a step-by-step guide.

After the add-in has been activated, you can now send relevant emails to OneNote . Here’s how:

Having the email in your notes for reference will speed up your workflow as you’ll be able to add any additional information from one place.

The feature also works the other way around which means you can send tasks from OneNote to Outlook just as quickly.

In OneNote, open the page you want to create an Outlook task for. Highlight the page title and navigate to the Home tab. Click Outlook Tasks and choose any of the given due dates or set up a custom one.

From OneNote, you can flag any part of your notes including checklists and paragraphs. Just highlight the part you want to take note of and select the appropriate Outlook Tasks flag.

With this, you can access your notes from your Outlook to do list anytime. The flagged notes will also appear in your Tasks list in the To Do app with a link back to the original note.

Tip : If you want to set up a two-way connection between Microsoft To Do and OneNote, check out our integration .

Tip #5: Batch your tasks using categories

In a hyperconnected work culture, it’s easy to get distracted by phone calls, emails, meetings, and urgent requests. You can plan your day ahead of time only to fall victim to multitasking, or worse, procrastination. This is where task batching comes in.

Task batching involves grouping similar tasks together and working on each batch in focused periods throughout the day. Categories in Outlook make it easier to identify tasks you can work on at any given time.

To create categories, go to the Home tab, the Tags group, select Categorize , and choose All Categories.

You can group your tasks by priority, function, or your energy levels. Other commonly used categories include @Email, @Waiting, @Home, @Writing, @SocialMedia, and @Offline.

To assign a category for a specific email or a task in Outlook, just right-click on the message or to-do item and select Categorize . You can assign multiple categories to a single item.

If you want to view all your categorized emails together, go to the top of your inbox and change the arrangement to Arranged By: Categories .

Final Thoughts

By now you must know that Outlook is not like your typical email management tool. Built for a wide audience in mind, task management for Outlook can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. Hopefully, the fundamental features we’ve covered will help you stay on top of your emails and get your most important work done at the same time.

Automate your task management in Outlook, OneNote, and To Do with Pleexy — an integration platform specially designed to help you manage your tasks.

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Pleexy channels tasks from your email, note-taking, project tracking, and collaboration apps into your task manager. Visit our website: https://pleexy.com/

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