6 tips for using OneNote as to-do list

To-do lists can be a great way to make sure you make progress in your daily work. Setting up to-do lists in Microsoft OneNote is simple and offers several advantages over using pen and paper.

OneNote is available on all devices and allows you to find important tasks quickly. If you tag what you need to do, OneNote will aggregate all tagged notes for easy access, lookup, and print. That is just a basic benefit. The article will show you some easier tips to take advantage of OneNote and get it done on time.

1. Use keyboard shortcuts to create checklist in OneNote easily

The tag needs to add a checkbox next to the note. You can use it to mark pending activities and re-check when they are completed. You can also use it to create a checklist of chores or daily tasks you need to do.

Just highlight a piece of text and press Ctrl + 1 to merge it with a checkbox. You can also combine this shortcut with some other cards. Press Ctrl + 2 to add an asterisk, Ctrl + 3 to add a question mark, etc.

If the available tags do not meet your needs, you can specify a custom tag and assign it with a shortcut. You will not have to search or click through the long card menu.

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In OneNote Desktop 2016, click the Home tab and select Customize Tags . From the dialog box that appears, move the tab in the list up until it becomes one of the first 9 boxes. OneNote for Windows 10 lets you create custom tags but does not allow you to modify existing tags.

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2. Embed your file into OneNote

When you work on a project, it's easy to 'lose track of' what you need to do to complete the project. On a computer that is not well organized, you will waste a lot of time searching for files. OneNote lets you embed files directly into notes.

In OneNote for Windows 10, go to Settings> Options , then turn on the Store attachments option in the cloud . When you attach a file in the OneNote page, it will upload the file to OneDrive and insert a link to the file. In the case of Word documents, OneNote displays a live preview of Office documents. You can also see changes made to the file in real time.

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For all other types of documents, the attachment will display a link. If the document is in PDF format, you can annotate your documents right in OneDrive and the changes will be synchronized with OneNote.

When you embed files, create a to-do list and start working on your documents. You will never forget everything and the latest copy will always be there, right in OneNote.

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3. Create a Kanban table in OneNote

If you try to handle a multitude of tasks on your own and have difficulty setting a priority for them, the Kanban method will suit you. With Kanban, you can split complex tasks into smaller steps and arrange them visually. You can understand the progress in your tasks, the problems that are encountered and establish an improvement plan.

First, you will create 3 columns: Project, Task and Priority . Consider this table as a central point to set all tasks. Design it to suit your needs. Open a new page and name it ' My Board '.

Enter the first column, press the Tab key and turn it into a table. Enter the next column and repeat the steps. Follow these steps until you have created 3 tables: To Do, This Week and Archive .

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When you complete a task, hover over the left side of the row to display an anchor point. Use your mouse to click and drag rows between tables. You can also add attachments to the column box and insert links to other pages for more details about the task.

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Auscomp's Kanban Template

If you don't want to waste time creating and managing a Kanban template, Auscomp has a built-in template. This template applies all best practices from Kanban. The table has many columns: Backlog, Next, In Progress, Focus , etc.

Reference links:

 https://onenote.auscomp.com/kanban-board/ 

Arrange your tasks and to-do tasks visually, then just drag and drop tasks into other columns. The Pro version of this template allows you to customize columns and delete company logos.

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To see more types of templates, refer to the article: Best Microsoft OneNote sample download sites for more details.

4. Turn the to-do list into one pages

OneNote 2016 provides a useful feature that allows you to instantly turn your list of items into individual pages. Each task is assigned to a separate page in the notebook. Create your task list, right-click and select Link to pages from the context menu.

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OneNote will instantly create new, blank pages in the current section. Each page will have the item content taken as the title. At the same time, list items are converted into internal links, pointing to the corresponding pages. Note that this feature only appears on the context menu of the list.

5. Experiment with viewing options in OneNote

The standard OneNote view does a great job of presenting different notebooks, sections and pages, so as not to make you "overwhelmed" by the huge amount of information. If you're maintaining your to-do list, OneNote full-screen view won't use display space effectively. Even the normal view does not provide much help to maintain your focus.

You can set OneNote window on all other applications. Click the View tab and select Dock to Desktop . When you work with a task in another application, you can quickly switch between two open windows, using copy-and-paste links to tasks, etc.

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Alternatively, you can use a custom desktop shortcut to directly launch OneNote in Dock mode. Just add '/ docked' to 'ONENOTE.EXE'. The path will look like this:

 C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficerootOffice16ONENOTE.EXE /docked 

Depending on the drive and the folder where Microsoft Office 2016 is installed, you may have to change the path. 'Office 2016' will become 'Office15' if you use Office 2013. Currently, OneNote for Windows 10 does not have this feature.

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6. Filter what to do in OneNote on the Summary page

Once you've tagged many items in your OneNote pages, you'll want to use the Find Tags feature, to get an overview of your to-do list. Click the Home tab , then select Find Tags . The newly created Tag Summary page contains all the tags listed on the Tag Summary task panel.

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If you want to know which tasks are not completed, select Show only unchecked items . To search in specific sections, notebooks or all notebooks, click the Search drop-down arrow and choose where you want to search the card.

Users are often caught up in the productivity system and promising features of to-do list applications. Managing tasks becomes an overwhelming activity. OneNote is a powerful tool. You can 'mold' it any way you want. Of course, in necessary cases, even a simple writing application like Notepad or WordPad can help you organize your thoughts and tasks in order.

Although OneNote lacks certain task management features, the tips discussed in this article will help you create a productivity system that suits your own needs. If you want to know more, read the article on how to create personal wikis with OneNote.

If OneNote isn't exactly right for you, try another alternative for OneNote.

Wish you have the right choice!