5 tips for using Microsoft's To Do task-tracking app on Macs, iPhones and iPads

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Many task absorption and reminder apps committedness to simplify your planning, but lone 1 is good integrated wrong the Microsoft 365 suite. Learn however to leverage Microsoft To Do utilizing Apple hardware.

Businessman penning to-do database astatine array successful office

It's typically not a question whether you usage a task absorption programme but which app you use. As organizations progressively follow Microsoft 365 services, and the platform's wealthiness of programs from Teams and SharePoint to Word and Outlook, macOS users should see converting to Microsoft To Do for each their task-tracking and reminder needs. The app's choky integration with Microsoft 365's Planner and Outlook unsocial springiness To Do a limb up connected different task-tracking competitors.

Better alteration your usage of Microsoft's To Do app crossed each Apple devices—iPads, iPhones and Macs—by adopting these 5 behaviors.

SEE: Apple's Sept. 2021 event: What concern pros request to cognize (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

1. Load Microsoft To Do connected each your Apple devices

Load and activate the To Do task absorption app connected each your Apple devices (be definite to follow Microsoft 365's multifactor authentication). And connected your Mac, don't conscionable load To Do connected macOS if you're besides moving a Windows virtual machine–deploy To Do wrong the Windows install, too.

The instrumentality is for To Do tasks and reminders to beryllium lone a click away. You privation To Do to beryllium astir instantly accessible to amended promote accordant use. The much you usage the program, the much it helps. So way each your projects and responsibilities, including each corresponding sub-steps and milestones, wrong To Do. In summation to tracking remaining steps and confirming those you've marked arsenic completed, To Do tin benignant remaining tasks by date, arsenic you'd expect, portion providing a My Day enactment that amended enables organizing and completing circumstantial priorities each workday.

Consider mounting a bookmark to rapidly link to the Microsoft 365-powered To Do portal online. A fewer Microsoft 365 services—Bookings, Sway and Yammer among them—still necessitate accessing online erstwhile utilizing macOS, iOS oregon iPadOS, arsenic Microsoft doesn't connection Apple-specific app counterparts. With SharePoint directing truthful galore users to web-based resources, you whitethorn already beryllium successful the wont of accessing intranet content. Having To Do readily accessible via the aforesaid method won't hurt.

2. Employ groups and lists

To Do works champion erstwhile you make groups to abstracted tasks into antithetic projects and initiatives. Within each group, you should make aggregate lists to further signifier tasks.

For example, if you negociate accounting and taxation responsibilities for your firm, you mightiness privation to make the pursuing groups:

Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
Taxes

Then, wrong the Taxes group, for example, creating the pursuing lists tin assistance signifier assorted ongoing responsibilities into these abstracted categories:

Monthly Sales and Use Taxes
Local Taxes
State Taxes
Federal Taxes

Thoughtfully separating enactment functions into dedicated categories champion helps signifier and coordinate each workday.

3. Use the Important, My Day and Planned features

Resist the temptation to cod tasks wrong a level database utilizing To Do; instead, usage the elemental but almighty operation of Important, My Day and Planned features (Figure A). To Do permits grouping progressive responsibilities by labeling idiosyncratic tasks arsenic important, associating idiosyncratic tasks with the existent time and by mounting owed dates for each to do, oregon immoderate operation of those 3 elements–use these capabilities.

Figure A

If you similar organizing your time successful advance, leverage tasks' My Day tract to delegate a day's enactment to To Do's My Day view. If you enactment amended sorting tasks by owed day and adjacent moving to effort to get ahead, specify the owed day wrong each task. For triple assurance, oregon for those tasks you perfectly cannot fto gaffe different day, people them arsenic Important. To bash truthful (pun intended), click the prima icon attached to each task. You past person the ability, utilizing To Do, to instantly presumption your My Day, Planned (Figure B) and Important tasks by clicking connected the respective enactment wrong To Do's left-hand navigation menu.

Figure B

4. Tie into Planner and Outlook

Take vantage of To Do's acceptable integration with its potent Microsoft brethren. You tin integrate some Planner activities and Outlook messages wrong To Do.

Receive an email connection requiring you travel up oregon execute different function? Flag the Outlook email. To Do volition subsequently make a task wrong the Flagged Email database utilizing the message's taxable enactment and assemblage text. If you don't spot Flagged Email, unfastened To Do's preferences, click the Connected Apps tab and cheque the container for Flagged Email. Once the Outlook connection is converted to a task, you're escaped to subordinate the recently created task wrong To Do utilizing your groups and lists, portion besides adjusting the owed day and importance, should you choose. Better yet, erstwhile you people the To Do task arsenic complete, the app clears the message's corresponding emblem wrong Outlook.

You tin besides automate the instauration of To Dos utilizing Microsoft Planner. If you've associated your Microsoft 365 relationship with Planner, unfastened To Do's preferences, click the Connected Apps tab and cheque the container for Planner. Then, whenever your relationship is assigned a Planner enactment (i.e., whenever you are listed wrong the Planner activity's Assigned To Me field), you'll person a corresponding task wrong To Do. By default, Planner tasks look wrong your Assigned To Me database wrong To Do, and immoderate Planner tasks with a owed day volition besides look wrong your To Do Planned list.

With each your responsibilities logged and tracked wrong To Do, you tin walk little clip managing and coordinating tasks and much clip really moving and completing those responsibilities.

5. Leverage delegation capabilities

It's nary concealed teams execute much moving together. Unfortunately, wide COVID-19 pandemic-fueled work-from-home arrangements often marque teamwork much challenging.

Thankfully, Teams, SharePoint and Planner are good positioned to assist. Departments already collaborating via those applications volition find it nary occupation furthering investments successful these products by extending their workflow to licence assigning To Do tasks. To Do makes it easy–just beryllium definite your section and coworkers are agreeable to the concept.

To delegate To Do tasks to others, click connected the task you privation to delegate to someone, past click the Assign To tract (Figure C) and specify the squad subordinate to whom you privation to delegate the task.

Figure C

Note: if you haven't antecedently shared the task list, you'll archetypal person to stock the database wrong which the task is stored. To stock a list, prime the task and click the Share List icon that appears toward the apical close country of To Do. Next, click the Invite Via fastener and prime the enactment (Mail, Messages and AirDrop are among the choices) you privation to usage to stock the database invitation. Once the recipient receives the connection and logs successful to To Do, they'll beryllium capable to entree the task and corresponding details.