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Module 4: Effective Use of Tasks. Overview. How to Use Tasks Walkthrough: Creating a Custom View Exercise: Creating and Applying Categories Dated vs. Undated Tasks Walkthrough: Creating Tasks Discussion: The Role of Tasks. How to Use Tasks. Understand the difference between:
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Overview • How to Use Tasks • Walkthrough: Creating a Custom View • Exercise: Creating and Applying Categories • Dated vs. Undated Tasks • Walkthrough: Creating Tasks • Discussion: The Role of Tasks
How to Use Tasks • Understand the difference between: • Project: a series of actions that lead to a goal • Next Action: the very next thing you need to do • Avoid these common mistakes when creating and managing tasks: • Assigning a due date to every task • Creating tasks that do not support next actions • Not customizing Outlook’s Task views • Not reviewing your task lists consistently
Walkthrough 1: Creating a Custom View • Your instructor will guide you through the creation of two custom views of your tasks: • The Dated Tasks view displays all tasks that have a due date assigned. • The Undated Tasks view displays all tasks yet to be assigned a due date
Exercise: Creating and Applying Categories • Categories sort and organize tasks • Categories can be based on context • Categories can be based on projects
Dated vs. Undated Tasks • Dated Tasks: tasks that must be completed or actions you have committed to completing by a certain date • Undated Tasks: next actions you have identified but not yet scheduled • Daily review: Review your Calendar and Dated Tasks list. Scan your Undated Tasks list to see if anything else can or should be done that day • Weekly review: Use a weekly review to examine the week just past or the week ahead, assess progress on next actions, and make sure your task lists are complete
Walkthrough 2: Creating Tasks 1 2 4 5 3 • Subject line • Due date and Start date and Reminder settings • Contacts • Free text area • Categories
Discussion: The Role of Tasks • How Do Dated Tasks and Undated Tasks help make good decisions about next actions? • Will categorizing tasks by context or project work better for you? • Have you tried working from a Task List in the past? Has it been effective? • How comfortable are you with the idea of assigning a due date only to tasks that you are ready to commit to a deadline?