Microsoft To-Do: The Most Productive App for Organisation

In light of the recent Microsoft To-do update, here are eight reasons why this app is my most productive tool.

Productivity at work is essential not only for economic growth but also for self-satisfaction and feeling like you have achieved something on that day. Having an extensive list of pending jobs in front of you isn’t an effective way of organising. To-Do can be a very useful tool if you are a list lover like me.  

I find the best way to stay organised is by creating small and categorised lists. There is nothing better than ticking off all your jobs that you have completed that day and starting the next day afresh.

To see how I take this same approach with emails, read my post on inbox zero.

1. Plan Your Day  

Making a task list for the day is a sure way to boost productivity and ensure you are working as efficiently as possible. By breaking down your jobs into manageable tasks, you can focus your efforts and work effectively. Microsoft To-do allows you to achieve what’s meaningful to you each day with ‘My Day’. Add your tasks to ‘My Day’ to view the jobs to be completed on that day. 

2. Access from Anywhere 

Capture and retrieve your lists and tasks from anywhere. If you work remotely, you can add to your lists from any device, anywhere in the world (as long as you have internet). To-Do is available for free with Office 365 and available across iPhone, Android, Windows 10 and Web.

3. Sharing and collaborating on tasks  

Another excellent feature of To-Do is the ability to share task lists and ideas. If you share a list with another user, they will have access to view and edit the list’s contents. To manage the access, tap on more options.  

To share a task list, select the name of a to-do list and select ‘Share List’. A link will appear that you can share with other users.  

4. Task details  

Create mini lists within your tasks to managed larger jobs. I find this useful when working on collaborative projects. To do this, select the task and select add a step. You can also add features like reminders and due dates to keep you on track. 

5. Keyboard Shortcuts  

For ease of use, Microsoft To-Do has incorporated the below keyboard shortcuts.  

• Ctrl + N: Add a new task  
• Ctrl + L: Create a new list  
• Ctrl + T: Add a task to My Day  
• Ctrl + D: Complete a task  
• Ctrl + F: Search  
• Ctrl + R: Sync  
• Ctrl + 1: Open the sidebar  

6. Incorporate with Outlook flagged emails 

To-Do is integrated with Outlook Tasks and flagged emails. This makes it easier to manage all your tasks in one place. Use your flagged emails to create tasks and view all your jobs in one place.  

Once the Flagged Email list is enabled, To-Do is populated with flagged emails from your inbox. All emails flagged from that point forward will also flow into To-Do as tasks.  

In To-Do, those emails will be editable. They can be renamed, assigned due dates and reminders, added to My Day and marked as Important.  

To open the original email, select the option to Open in Outlook.   

7. Constantly being improved  

As with all Microsoft applications, To-Do updates continuously. This means Microsoft is listening to feedback and working on ways to improve the app.  

8. Make Them Beautiful And Love Your Lists 

Who doesn’t love colour coordinated lists? Okay, so maybe not everybody cares about making your lists beautiful like me, however, if you ever wanted to, there is plenty of options.  

To-Do has updated with a fresh new look with more background options. Customise each list with your choice of solid colours or full-screen images – including the iconic Berlin tower from the original Wunderlist.  

However you decide to work, Office 365 has a plethora of applications to boost productivity. Every minute counts when it comes to getting work done to a deadline. For more information on how to utilise Office 365 for you, get in touch.