Microsoft 365 To-Do is an organizational tool aimed at assisting with planning and managing daily tasks. Tasks can be created on a daily basis or for the purpose of setting long term goals. Longer term tasks can be set with deadlines or reminders set. To-Do synchronizes with Outlook tasks, making your tasks more accessible and manageable.

 Microsoft 365 To-Do is available as a part of the Microsoft 365 suite provided to all members of Illinois State University. You can access Microsoft 365 To-Do by logging into https://office365.ilstu.edu.  

 If you do not see To-Do in your list of apps, you may need to click All Apps.  

Lists and Tasks

To-Do is an application for managing your tasks; these tasks are organized into lists. By default, there are two lists: My Day and To-Do. If needed, more lists can be created for both professional and personal tasks. For example, a ‘Projects’ list can be created with the due dates of all projects due for a semester. A ‘Groceries’ list can be created with a checklist of all the things needed from the grocery store. The left side of the screen will show your lists and how many tasks remain uncompleted within them.

Creating Lists

 Lists can be created by clicking on New List on the left side of the screen.

1. Enter a name for your new list.
2. To reorganize the order of your lists, click and drag the title of your lists. Your "My Day" and "To-Do" lists will always remain at the top.  
3. To delete a list, click on the … ("List Options") button in the top right corner and click Delete List.

Creating and Managing Tasks

 Lists contain tasks. Tasks are individual items that can be completed and contain assigned due dates.

Create a Task:

1. To create a task, first click on the list into which the task will be entered.
2. Click Add a to-do.
3. Type in a few short words to summarize the task, then click Add.
4. When a task is completed, you can click the circle next to the task to mark it as completed.

Manage a Task:

1. To manage a task, double click on a task.  
2. After double clicking on the task, a menu will appear to the right containing several actions that can be taken:

• Added to My Day: See the next section below to read more about this menu item.

• Remind me: Click on this menu item to set up a reminder to complete this task. A new window will appear with several options: "Later today," "Tomorrow," "Next week," "Pick a date & time." The last option will open a calendar that will allow you to select a specific date and time. This will sync up to Outlook, so a device that is running Outlook will send you a reminder created in to-do.

• Add a due date: Click on this menu item to set up a reminder to complete this task. A new window will appear with several options: "Later today," "Tomorrow," "Next week," "Pick a date & time." The last option will open a calendar that will allow you to select a specific date and time.

• Add a note: This is a free form field. Add any additional notes regarding the task in this field.

1. If any of these options is set and needs to be deleted, hover your cursor over it to reveal an "X." Click on this "X" to delete it.  

My Day

My Day is a unique type of list intended to help with daily organization. My Day is the first page to open in To-Do. Every day, the My Day list starts out empty and can be populated with various tasks that you want to accomplish during the day. If any items remain on the list from previous days, To-Do will ask if you want to review and add them to your current day.

 Items can be added to My Day from other lists. Simply double click on the list to open up the menu, and click on Add to My Day. Marking an item complete on My Day will also mark it complete on any other lists it may be present. Tasks created on My Day otherwise function like normal tasks. They have due dates added, reminders, notes, etc

 To-Do offers suggested tasks as well. In the My Day list, click on the light bulb in the top right to receive suggestions to be added to My Day from your other lists. This feature is intended to help suggest items to work on each day and can help with long term goals.

Tasks in Outlook

Lists and tasks created in To-Do are also visible in Outlook and vice-versa. Tasks will be organized into groups in Outlook that share the name of your Lists in To-Do. Information input into To-Do such as due dates and reminders will automatically sync between programs. For example, if a reminder is created on your phone through To-Do, you will receive a notification on your desktop at the reminder time, provided you are signed in to Outlook.

Microsoft 365 To-Do on a Mobile Device

Office 365 To-Do is also available as a free app for mobile devices. In the Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS) search for Microsoft To-Do. When loading the app for the first time, you will be prompted to enter your full e-mail address (including @ilstu.edu) and your password. This will sync To-Do with your Microsoft365 account. The features present in the mobile version are the same as in the desktop version, but the interface is mobile-friendly.

How to Get Help

• Technical assistance is available through the Technology Support Center at (309) 438-4357, by email at SupportCenter@IllinoisState.edu, or by Live Chat at Help.IllinoisState.edu.