Tasks in Gmail

Some time ago I wrote about a task manager called TaskFreak!. We at Xavier Media are using it and are quite happy since it’s web based (installed on our own servers), allows multiple users to work on the same projects, got time recording and many other features. However that may be more features than most of you need (you also need some technical experience and a server to install and use it).

So if you need a task manager to keep track on everything you have to do, but you don’t want to install some software on your server and keep it up to date I suggest you have a look at the task manager in Gmail.

Since most of you already got a Gmail account you also have access to the task manager offered by Google. It’s still something you have to search for in Google Labs which means that it’s kind of experimental, but I’ve been trying it for sometime now and haven’t found any big problems with it.

To activate the task manager you just login at your Gmail account click on “Settings”, select the “Labs” tab and scroll down to”Tasks”. When you’ve enabled tasks you get a new link in the left menu (under contacts) that says “Tasks”. If you click on that link the task window will open in the same browser window as you view Gmail in 😀 .

You can create several lists of tasks (one for work, one private and maybe even one for your hobbies) and it’s really easy to add a new task (just click somewhere in the white area in the task window and start writing). By pressing the little arrow next to each task you can add a description and a due date (both visible in the task list) and you can drag and drop your task in any order you like.

When you’ve completed a task you just check the checkbox and select “Clear completed tasks” in the Action menu.

If you get an email you have to act on you just press shift + T (or select “Add to task” from the “More actions” menu)when you’re reading the email and a new task will be created from the email 😀 .

I love this task manager since it’s simple and you have it connected to your email account. I’m just waiting for an update where you can share tasks (or even lists) between several users 😀 .

Tasks in Gmail works even if you use Google Gears (Gmail offline).