Getting Things Done: Using Your MV Webmail Account to Manage Your To Do List

Most of us have more things to get accomplished than we can keep track of. I find that a useful to do list is invaluable to keeping me on track. A solution that helps me stay on top of my CFF tasks is a simple to do list tied into my MV Webmail account. I can add tasks to the list from anywhere I can access email, even from my mobile phone or iPod.

There are three steps to getting this kind of Webmail to do list up and running: create a special folder for your to do items, make a filter to sort your to do list tasks from your other mail and send them into your to do list folder, and inserting a flag into the subject line of the emails.

1) Create a special folder for your to do items.

On the Webmail toolbar, click the Folders icon.

Next, name your to do folder, in this example I used the name ToDo List, then click the Create button.

Now a folder with that name should appear in the folder list below.

2) Make a filter to sort your to do list tasks from your other mail and send them into your ToDo List folder

On the Webmail toolbar, click the Options icon.

From the available options, select Filters and Exceptions

You now have four things to do in the window that appears:

1. From the drop-down menu next to If the, choose Subject
2. Following Subject header contains, type 2DO:
3. Choose move from the menu beside then
4. and choose ToDo List from the menu next to IMAP folder

Then click the Add button and the filter you just made should appear in the list.

3) Insert a 'flag' into the subject line of the emails that contain your to do list items.

When you need to add a task to your to do list, compose an email to yourself. In the subject line you MUST include the 'flag' that will send this to your to do list folder. That 'flag' is 2DO:. Also on the subject line, include a brief description of the task. If you wish, you may include more detail about the task in the body of the message.

That email should now be channeled into your ToDo List folder. Select that folder and you should see a list of your tasks.

You might want to add a priority number to the subject line, or due date, or whatever else you like. Delete the tasks as they are completed. Hope this helps you better manage your workload.

© 2008 Thomas Boito