{"id":4787,"date":"2019-04-17T21:48:38","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T03:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/?p=4787"},"modified":"2019-05-15T14:08:49","modified_gmt":"2019-05-15T20:08:49","slug":"microsofts-new-to-do-module-does-it-replace-tasks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/microsofts-new-to-do-module-does-it-replace-tasks\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft\u2019s New To-Do Module\u2014Does it replace Tasks?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>About once a month I get a note from someone asking: \u201cWhen are you going to show us how to use the new <a href=\"https:\/\/products.office.com\/en-us\/microsoft-to-do-list-app\">Microsoft To-Do<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/1MTDvsMYN.html\">MYN or 1MTD<\/a>?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, for MYN, my short answer is: \u201cnot until they add a ton more features. And it may be a while, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>UPDATE May 15: <\/strong>See my warnings below and in comments. Don&#8217;t activate this app on your existing MYN task list without a lot of thought about what might happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For 1MTD, there are some pretty good possibilities for use, but only if you are willing to stop using desktop Outlook&#8217;s task module as your main task interface. So, I will write up how to use To-Do with 1MTD in a bit, for those that need a simple app like To-Do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The main issue is this: Microsoft To-Do is designed for a different audience&nbsp;than&nbsp;my&nbsp;MYN audience<\/strong>, and so it lacks some really important task management stuff that MYN users come to expect. Here&#8217;s the list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>There is no 3-level priority setting; <\/li><li>there is no start date field; <\/li><li>view filtering is very limited; <\/li><li>no categories; <\/li><li>and no task assignment.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of which of these features are really important, the lack of 3-level prioritization and the lack of a start date field kill it for MYN.  Though again, there are some 1MTD possibilities&#8212;with tweaks to the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other deficiencies are unfortunate too because they lead\nto greatly limiting your flexibility for sophisticated task management. You\nsee, I have a ton of optional task views and processes that I also teach, and\nmany people use, and they provide ways to take MYN and 1MTD to the next level.\nThey provide advanced users a way to really nail down their comprehensive daily\nwork management routines. But all those lacking features preclude you from making\nthose expansions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Not All Bad<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I look at To-Do as sort of similar to Google tasks, which is another very limited tasks module. As with the very simple Google tasks, I am sure there is a market for To-Do among casual to-do list management users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I am not knocking To-Do <em>in general<\/em>, in fact, I applaud Microsoft\u2019s efforts to provide\nsimple solutions for simple users. There is no doubt in my mind that many\npeople have found Outlook\u2019s Tasks module too confusing and need a module like\nTo-Do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>But those people are not serious task managers.<\/em> The amazing power of a serious task system like MYN, and even 1MTD, comes from some very specific task capabilities. For example, the start date field is especially important for MYN. And there are a lot more capabilities needed to really get serious about managing tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t expect To-Do to try to become that; and I admit, not many to-do list apps even come close to having all the features needed for MYN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s okay. As long as Microsoft doesn\u2019t <em>eliminate<\/em> Outlook\u2019s Tasks module, or <em>remove features<\/em>, then my readers will be able to continue to use the older Tasks module. And they should just ignore To-Do.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so far, that seems to be the case\u2014the Tasks module continues to be supported. If you go to the module launcher in the web version of Outlook, for example, you will see that <em>Both<\/em> modules are available there (see figure below).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/images\/tasks-to-do-launcher.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And Outlook desktop has no link at all to To-Do. So far so\ngood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If You Try Out To-Do<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the way, many of you, after reading this article, are going\nto try out To-Do, which makes sense. But a few warnings before you blindly do\nthat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you launch To-Do from your current Outlook Online (OWA)\naccount, it will sync all your Outlook Tasks into the To-Do module and display\nthem in the To-Do view. If you then use To-Do to edit those tasks, be careful.\nI\u2019ve heard horror stories on how To-Do will screw up the start dates when it\nsyncs those tasks back into the Tasks module, and now your Outlook Tasks are\nmessed up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, MYN users who use start dates, it might be best just to\navoid To-Do for now. And if you want to learn more about it, perhaps open it in\na \u201cspare,\u201d non-critical Microsoft Exchange account that you might have. Or simply\ndo a Google search and <em>read<\/em> about it\nfor now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Is the Tasks Module\n\u201cSafe\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I said, it looks like Microsoft is supporting both To-Do\nand Tasks, which at first seems harmless. However, Microsoft adding the To-Do\nmodule may not be completely harmless, because it then leads to a question: Is\nthe Tasks module <em>safe<\/em> from\nMicrosoft\u2019s ongoing simplification and cost-cutting scalpel? In its obsession\nto simplify its Office suite and cut costs in the MSFT corporation, will\nMicrosoft eventually <em>kill<\/em> the Tasks\nmodule?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, the following interview might answer that question. Here is an excerpt from a <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/gitbit\/interview-with-simon-chan-on-the-future-of-microsoft-to-do-aee3a460610\">Feb 5 2018 interview between<\/a> John Gruber and Microsoft\u2019s Senior Product Manager of To-Do, Simon Chan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p> Question from John Gruber: \u201cOutlook Tasks have always been a bit lacking and hasn\u2019t been upgraded to fit into Microsoft\u2019s productivity and collaboration suite well. To-Do is a much better option. Is Microsoft To-Do going to replace Outlook Tasks?\u201d<\/p><p><br> Answer from Simon Chan: \u201cYou might be surprised to learn this, but there\u2019s actually a sizable active customer base of Outlook Tasks! But almost every customer we talk to tends to agree that Outlook Tasks is in need of some attention. Long term, we are looking to simplify and unify the tasks experience customers have across the Microsoft ecosystem which includes improving Outlook Tasks. We don\u2019t have an exact schedule of when you\u2019ll be seeing a new Outlook Tasks experience, but it\u2019s something that we\u2019re working towards.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what does that tell me? Well, I am not sure. The phrase\n\u201csimplify and unify the tasks experience\u201d could be interpreted in different\nways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I Hope Microsoft Does\nit Right: Simplified Ribbon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My advice to Microsoft is this: Use your new Simplified\nRibbon approach as a template for how you simplify the Tasks module. You see,\nthe recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/outlooks-new-simplified-ribbon-menu\/\">Ribbon\nsimplification was done the right way<\/a>. What Microsoft did with the new\nRibbon was to present a greatly simplified Ribbon, but then leave all the\nfull-power features of the <em>full<\/em>\nRibbon available only one-click away. And they even provided ways for you to\ncustomize the new Simplified Ribbon to add back certain features you may want within\nit. That whole upgrade was very nicely done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Please, Not What\nHappened with OneNote<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What I <em>don\u2019t<\/em> want\nto see happen is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/microsoft-onenote-confused-about-your-version\/\">what\nhappened with OneNote<\/a> recently. The way that was handled was a BIG mistake\nin my mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the story: Back in 2014 or so, Microsoft developed a\nparallel product, the Windows Store version of OneNote\u2014mostly tablet based. It\nhad nice tablet features, but it came with a fraction of the features of the\nfull OneNote. We all hoped that eventually the new OneNote would become\nfeature-equal to the main one, with the added tablet features, and we could all\nuse it instead, whether on a tablet or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it didn\u2019t happen. The dev team was slowly moving in that\ndirection, got maybe 75% to feature equity, but then a huge unfortunate\ndecision was made. Last year they announced they would stop development of the original\nOneNote and focus all energy and distribution on the new one, which was still\nfar weaker in most areas that mattered. And still is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At that point, the old OneNote (OneNote 2016) was orphaned. The new and in my mind weaker one is what is distributed with Office these days. The older, more powerful one, is now only made available as an optional download\u2014a download that few people even know exists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is particularly galling is the lack of future OneNote 2016 development. While Microsoft might pretend OneNote 2016 is still supported, it\u2019s obvious that it\u2019s a dead end and all of the best new stuff will never get there. The new, in my mind weaker, OneNote is all that matters now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s my point: I seriously now wonder if the entire older\nOneNote 2016 module will shortly disappear. After all, Microsoft does not have\nunlimited resources and it is known to cut and run on lower-priority projects\n(think Microsoft Phone).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Is that Happening\nwith Tasks?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, I am seeing some of that happening now with tasks. I am seeing Microsoft favor the newer To-Do module over the older Tasks module for new development. Case in point: Microsoft recently added to its online version of Outlook the ability to convert emails into To-Do items (this new feature is slowly rolling out). But it has not yet added the ability to convert online emails into the Tasks module (though the near instant sync with Tasks does provide a partial solution). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, Microsoft has released smartphone apps that have all the features of To-Do. But not so with the Tasks module\u2014only third-party apps work with the Tasks module, and Microsoft has ignored it in the smartphone arena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, is the sunset of Tasks already starting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Outlook.com and Outlook Online Have Started to Cut Over<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, over in the Outlook.com world (the online version) and in the Outlook Online (OWA) Insider version, Microsoft has already started to replace the Tasks module there with the To-Do module. If you have an Outlook.com account or an Insider version of Outlook Online, open it now, online. Then look down in the lower left corner at the navigation icons (you might have to drag the right edge of the folders pane wider to see them all). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many or all of you will now see a To-Do icon instead of the Tasks icon, as shown in the figure below. If you see the one on the left side, well, you\u2019ve already been assimilated into the new To-Do world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/images\/to-do-in-outlook.com.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While this is in trial for the full Exchange version of Outlook Online (you have to toggle the switch labeled &#8220;The New Outlook&#8221; in the upper right corner), it appears that it&#8217;s a done deal for Outlook.com. That means, as an Outlook.com user, you now <em>only<\/em> have access to To-Do and your old tasks are now imported into the To-Do module. The Tasks module is essentially gone. Is that what you wanted?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, the main navigation icons in the lower left of the Windows Mail app (the Microsoft Store app called Mail), now are displaying a link to To-Do. So it&#8217;s the default task app there too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now granted, not many MYN or 1MTD users were using the older Tasks module in Outlook.com. The tasks editing screens for that were terrible, so I don\u2019t bemoan that change. And not many MYN or 1MTD users are using the Microsoft Store Mail app either. And after all, all of these are considered <em>consumer or&nbsp;personal&nbsp;<\/em>versions of Outlook, and it probably makes sense to link the simpler To-Do module in these apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But for the full Exchange version of Outlook Online (OWA), this movement to emphasizing To-Do could be a bit risky for MYN users. First of all, with those changes it becomes a bit problematic to use OWA as an MYN task input mechanism, as some did. If you have the new OWA version with the new Tasks pane on the right, and convert an email to a task by dragging it there, there is no way to set the start date (it defaults to None) so you have to edit the task back in desktop Outlook. Admittedly it&#8217;s nice that you finally have a way to convert an email to a task in OWA, it&#8217;s just too bad the task is not ready for MYN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again though, not many of my clients use Outlook Online (OWA), so this is not a huge deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>My Concern: Eventual\nDesktop Changes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But my concern is this: I have noticed that changes made to Outlook Online (OWA) often end up in Windows Desktop Outlook. Examples are the Archive folder and the Focused Inbox: both started first in Outlook Online, and then migrated to the desktop version. So, is this where Microsoft is going, and will they eventually be replacing the Tasks module in desktop Outlook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If so, and if in that process the OneNote fiasco happens with the Tasks module\u2014if Tasks gets sunsetted or dumbed-down too much\u2014I\u2019ll be very disappointed. To me, the desktop version of Outlook is the ultimate version of Outlook, and the only one I really feel can save the overwhelmed office worker. By now you know that ALL of my best teachings direct you to Windows desktop Outlook. It\u2019s the cream of the crop. All this Office Online nonsense is, in my mind, silly noise Microsoft is making in trying to compete with Google, and mostly a waste of time for the serious productive knowledge worker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We Have a Fallback<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, if Microsoft does make a really stupid decision, and eventually\n<em>does<\/em> swap To-Do into the desktop\nversion of Outlook, the good news is we at least have a fallback. I will simply\ntell all my customers to use Toodledo instead. Toodledo can be used quite\neffectively with Outlook, so it is an option. The Toodledo company is dedicated\nto creating a full-featured, non-compromised tasks solution and continues to\nadd power-user features <em>along with<\/em>\nsimplifications. I know their pricing has gone up, but in my mind, they are\nstill the best task management software out there, after Outlook Tasks. Maybe\neven better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I hope it doesn\u2019t come to that\u2014it would be unfortunate.\nAnd it would cut out a lot of corporate users who need to keep their enterprise\ndata\u2014including data embedded in tasks\u2014on their internal servers (Toodledo is\ncloud only). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Maybe That\u2019s the Good\nNews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that is my good-news indicator that Microsoft will in\nfact be <em>retaining<\/em> the Tasks module\nfor the long-term. You see, their new To-Do module was designed bottom up to be\na <em>cloud<\/em> feature only\u2014it\u2019s not built\ninto Exchange. So, unless Microsoft integrates it into Exchange, the Tasks\nmodule appears to be safe. Why do I say that? Because all companies that demand\nto use an on-premises Exchange Server will need to continue to have access to an\non-premises Tasks module, through Exchange\u2014Tasks are too widely used in the corporate\nenvironment. So that bodes well for the longevity of Tasks in Outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, this may be the reality: It may be that To-Do will\nalways and only be a focus in Microsoft\u2019s <em>online,\nbrowser-based, app world<\/em>, the one that competes with Google\u2019s apps. If so,\nfine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, I steadily and consistently tell my readers to focus on the Windows <em>desktop<\/em> version of Outlook and to generally ignore Outlook Online. I do that because the desktop version is the <em>only<\/em> version that has enough features for full MYN tasks management, and the only one suitable for my full <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/InboxNinja\/\">Outlook Inbox Ninja<\/a> email management system. The online apps don\u2019t even come close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if To-Do is all about Outlook Online, then fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that said, there is a wrinkle. Microsoft is heavily\ncommitted to Office 365 and all its online glory. How to reconcile that with\ncompanies that demand inside-the-firewall data protection? Well, Microsoft is\nnow reportedly developing on-premises versions of its web-based Office 365\nserver that can exist inside the firewall. Presumably, such a server <em>could replace on-premises Exchange<\/em>. If\nso, then who knows, maybe To-Do will be favored over the Tasks module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tell Microsoft What\nYou Want<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, if a slow, full cutover to the To-Do module, while a long\nway away, is eventually inevitable, and if To-Do <em>does<\/em> eventually replace the Tasks module, even on the desktop,\nlet\u2019s at least hope they strengthen To-Do features and make it usable by\nserious task managers. If they simply added start dates and 3-level priority, they\u2019d\nbe a long way there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To that end, perhaps we should all start pinging Microsoft to\ndo at least that\u2014to add those two features to To-Do. Microsoft has a pretty\ngood system for collecting user input. It\u2019s called UserVoice, and it allows vote\non feature suggestions. Those two feature requests are already out on\nUserVoice. So, do me a favor and go there now and vote for them using the two\nlinks below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vote on the <em>Add 3-level Priority<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/todo.uservoice.com\/forums\/597175-feature-suggestions\/suggestions\/36691459-allow-for-multiple-priority-levels\">feature here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vote on the <em>Add Start Date<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/todo.uservoice.com\/forums\/597175-feature-suggestions\/suggestions\/19401595-start-date-and-end-date-of-each-task\">feature here,<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please follow those links, and go and vote for each of them now. Let\u2019s try to influence Microsoft to at least <em>beef up<\/em> To-Do over the long run, in case they eventually emphasize it over the older Tasks module, even in desktop Outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I admit, Microsoft\u2019s marketing of To-Do is pretty snazzy.\nAll you have to do is go to the <a href=\"https:\/\/products.office.com\/en-us\/microsoft-to-do-list-app\">To-Do\nmarketing webpage<\/a> to see all the bling\u2014to see the full-court push Microsoft\nis making for this new module. There is no corresponding marketing for the\nvenerable, and much better, Tasks module. So, you and others might be swayed,\nby all that sexy advertising and by the brand-new, pretty, smartphone apps, to\nmake a change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But please don\u2019t let the bright colors and the apparent \u201cnewness\u201d of To-Do sway you from what\u2019s important. If you are an MYN or 1MTD user, which means you care about powerful task management, then stick with the Tasks module. It will serve you well for a long time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And note this, in case the fancy new To-Do smartphone app is swaying you: there are plenty of smartphone apps that support the full Tasks module: TaskTask, Nine, and so on. So, there is no reason that you must cut over to To-Do. The older and wiser Tasks module is the place to be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About once a month I get a note from someone asking: \u201cWhen are you going to show us how to use the new Microsoft To-Do with MYN or 1MTD?\u201d Well, for MYN, my short answer is: \u201cnot until they add &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/microsofts-new-to-do-module-does-it-replace-tasks\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[41,42],"class_list":["post-4787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-tasks","tag-to-do"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4787"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4882,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4787\/revisions\/4882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaellinenberger.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}