I recently discovered that Gmail has a full blown task list function. I did a cursory Google search, and realized that not many people know about this spectacular built-in app. I’ve been playing around with it for the last few weeks and I really like it and think you all will too. In this post I will show you how to use this little-known feature.
How to Open the Task Bar
The task bar in Gmail has been hiding under your nose this entire time!
First you need to be logged into Gmail. Making a Gmail account is very easy currently. Gone are the days when you needed an invitation!
Once you have Gmail open, navigate to the top left corner of your Gmail account and click on “Gmail.”
A drop down menu will appear, select “Tasks,” which is right under “Contacts.”
Like Gchat, the a Tasks bar will open up on the bottom right side of your Gmail account.
How to Add Tasks
Add a task by simply clicking the “+” symbol on the bottom of the Task bar.
A text box will open on the top of the Task bar. You can begin entering your task here (I need to get more blog posts done, so I decided to add that task).
Continue step 2 until you have written all of your tasks.
Once a task is finished click on the box to the left of the task.
How to Assign a Due Date
Select the arrow to the right of the task you would like to assign a due date to.
By clicking the arrow, you will be presented more details. Enter a due date in the box that reads “Due date.”
Feel free to add notes to your Task in the “Notes” box.
Now your task has a date that it must be completed by!
Create Tasks for an Email
You can also easily create a task from an email. This can be particularly helpful if you receive a lot of requests/orders/demands emails.
Select the email you want to add as a task. Click on the box to the left of the email.
Then click on the “More” action button right above all of your emails.
A drop down menu will appear. Select “Add to Tasks.”
Gmail automatically adds a new task using the subject line of the email. A link to the “Related email” is also added to the task. Clicking the link opens the email behind the “Tasks” window.
You can also add additional text to the task or change the text input by Gmail simply by clicking in the task and typing or highlighting text and replacing it.
Conclusion
I find myself using the Gmail Task bar more and more and think that it is a great addition for anyone who uses Gmail regularly. It works great, and you can reorder, delete, and assign dates in no time! Try it out and let us know if this is useful for you.
