1 of 4 This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. In the Outlook Navigation Pane, click Tasks. On the File menu, point to New, and click Task. In the Untitled - Task window, provide basic information about your task. To enter greater detail, click the Details tab. Click Save and Close. Use the Tasks feature in Outlook to manage your time and workload more effectively. You can use Tasks to schedule work items and make sure they get done; you can drag messages or other files onto your Task pane and automatically create work items; you can even assign tasks to others and monitor their progress. Outlook 2003 makes it easy to track work duties and see them through. In this guide you will learn how to: 1 3 Create a Task About Outlook Tasks Create a Task Use Tasks Manage Work with Tasks Create a task in OneNote Import Outlook Tasks into Project Tips To make a task recurring, click Recurrence on the Outlook toolbar and select the appropriate options. To create a new task from an existing one, first select the existing task. Then, on the Edit menu, click Copy and then click Paste. To create a task from an Outlook item, drag the item (such as an message, note, or calendar event) onto Tasks in the navigation pane. You can also right-click the item and click Move to Folder. (This moves the item from its original location into Tasks, instead of creating a copy in Tasks.) In the event you share Outlook folders with others and want to make a task private (visible only to you), select the Private check box in the corner of the Task window. 2 Note Data in Outlook is not encrypted, so Outlook should not be used to store confidential business information. Similarly, do not rely on the Private feature to prevent others from viewing a task when you are sharing your Tasks folder. Use the Private feature only when you share folders with people you trust. 4 Use Tasks Tasks can be used to remind you of work items, record your time, and update team members with your status. Associate Files and Documents with a Task You can associate files with a task in order to keep the files in a central location and share them with contacts associated with the task (see Tip below). Open the task you want to associate files or Outlook items with. Select the file or Outlook Item and drag it into the Task window. (You may need to resize your windows to drag items onto Tasks.) Click Save and Close Tip You can associate a contact with a task also by clicking Contacts at the bottom of the Task window. This way you have a reminder of who is connected with the task.

2 of 4 This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. On the Tools menu, click Options. Click Task Options. Select or clear the Set reminders on tasks with due dates check box. Mark a Task Complete To keep the contacts associated with a task up-to-date and to allow for accurate time reporting, mark a task complete when you finish it. Do not try to mark a task complete by deleting it. Open the task you want to mark complete. In the % Complete box, enter 100% Tips If the Complete column appears in the Tasks list (as a check mark ), select the check box for the task to mark it complete. You can also right- click the task and click Complete. To delete a task, right-click the task and click Delete. Set a Task Reminder for a Specific Task Open the task you want to set or clear a reminder for. Select or clear the Reminder check box. If you are setting a reminder, you can enter a date and time. 1 2 Automatically Set Reminders for All New Tasks with a Due Date You can use your Task options to automatically set a reminder for each new task that has a due date. Note If you set a reminder but don't set a reminder time, the default reminder time is used (current day, 8:00 A.M.). To set a new default reminder time, on the Tools menu, click Options. In the Tasks section, select a new reminder time. Categorize Tasks In the Tasks list, select the tasks you want to assign to a category and click Edit > Categories. –OR– Open a task and click Categories at the bottom of the window. In the Available categories list, select the check boxes next to the categories you want, and then click OK. To view your tasks by category, click By Category in the Current View panel. This brings all tasks with categories assigned to them to the top of the list. 2 3 Note If you assign a task with a reminder to someone else, Outlook switches the reminder off so the person who accepts the task can set a reminder. 1

3 of 4 This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Schedule Time for a Task You can schedule time in your Outlook calendar to work on a task, or schedule a meeting to talk about a task. Drag the task you want to schedule time for to the Calendar button on the Navigation Pane. On the Appointment tab, select the options you want. 1 2 Manage Work with Tasks Tasks enable you to assign tasks to team members, reclaim declined tasks, and comment on tasks in progress. Assign a Task to Someone To assign a new or existing task to someone, open the task you want to assign, and click Assign Task. In the To box, enter the name of the person you want to assign the task to. In the Subject box, type a task name. Select the due date and status options you want. In the body of the task, type instructions or information about the task. Click Send. 2 Accept or Decline a Task When you receive a task assignment, open the task or task request. Click Accept or Decline. Click either Edit the response before sending (type your comment in the message, and then click Send), or Send the response now Track an Assigned Task On the Tools menu, click Options. On the Preferences tab, click Task Options. Select the Keep updated copies of assigned tasks on my task list check box. Select the Send status reports when assigned tasks are completed check box Tip If you want the task to repeat, select Recurrence on the Actions menu and select the options you want, and click OK.

4 of 4 This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Send a Status Report for a Task Open the task you want to change the status or completion percentage for. In the Status and % Complete boxes, enter your information. On the Actions menu, click Send Status Report. Enter recipient names in the To, Cc, and Bcc boxes and click Send Create a Task in OneNote Office OneNote provides a convenient, integrated way to take notes and gather research, all in one place. In OneNote, you can convert notes into Outlook Tasks. In OneNote, select the text you wish to add to a task. (To include all the contents of a note container, place the insertion point anywhere in the note container.) On the Tools menu, point to Create Outlook Item and then click Create Outlook Task. In the Task window, select the options you want. Click Save and Close. Import Outlook Tasks into Project In Project, on the Tools menu, click Import Outlook Tasks. In the Import Outlook Tasks dialog box, select the tasks to import. Click OK to import the tasks into the current project Note If the task was assigned to you, the names of people on the update list are automatically added. Note You must have OneNote Service Pack 1 to use this feature. To download OneNote SP1, go to 4 Office Project is a program that helps you create and track project plans, manage schedules and resources, and share project information. You can import Outlook tasks directly into your project.