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Are you managing your tasks and to-dos like this? Sticky notes scattered across your desk or stuck onto your laptop to remind you what you need to do next? Or maybe you have random to-do lists scribbled in various places?
I’d be lying if I said I’ve never managed my tasks this way. For years, I relied on bright-colored sticky notes to guide my priorities and to-dos for the day. It was the easiest way (at the time) to dump information out of my head and place it somewhere else so I wouldn’t forget any details.
Fortunately, there’s an easier (and more organized) way inside Google Calendar. So, if you love and live by your Google Calendar and need task management help, listen up! In this post, we’ll show you:
- How to create tasks in Google Calendar
- How to add tasks to your Google Calendar from Gmail
- How to set up notifications for your tasks so you never miss a to-do
- How to mark your tasks as complete (insert happy dance here)
How to create a Google Calendar Task
Creating tasks in Google Calendar is simple and easily accessible across devices. You can create, view, and modify tasks in Google Calendar from your computer or mobile device. Grab your device of choice and follow these step-by-step instructions to create tasks quickly.
Create a task in Google Calendar on the computer
1. Open Google Calendar and select the “Tasks” calendar on the left under “My Calendars.”
2. Either click an empty slot on your calendar or click the “Create” button in the top left-hand corner and select “Task.”
3. Add a title and description of your task. Set a recurring schedule if necessary by clicking on the date and time and using the menu to the right of “Does not repeat.” (Pro-tip: Get specific! Your tasks are for your eyes only, so ensure you create them in a way that makes sense to you, with as much detail as possible.)
4. Add your new task to the appropriate task list using the dropdown menu next to “My Tasks.” By default, tasks are added to the “My Tasks” list unless you select another one.
5. Press “Save” and voilà!
Create a task in Google Calendar on Android
1. Open the Google Calendar app on your Android device.
2. Tap the “+” sign and select “Task.”
3. Give your task a title and description. Set the date, time, and frequency.
4. Add it to a current task list or create a new list.
5. Save it, and you are good to go!
Create a task in Google Calendar on Apple (iPhone, iPad, or Mac)
1. Open the Google Calendar app on your Apple device.
2. Tap the “+” sign and select “Task.”
3. Give your task a title and description. Set the date, time, and frequency.
4. Add it to a current task list or create a new list.
5. Save it, and you are good to go!
How to add tasks to Google Calendar
Now that you know how to create tasks from scratch, there are a few other ways you can quickly (and seamlessly) add tasks to your Google Calendar. Consider implementing these options into your workflows to simplify your workday.
Add tasks using the Google Tasks panel
1. Open Google Calendar in your desktop web browser and Google Tasks in the right side panel. (Look for the tasks icon!)
2. Click “Add a task,” give it a title, and set the due date. Add task details below the title, and if you plan to do this task more than once, hit the “Repeat” arrow icon in the lower right corner. You can set your task to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. Or you can set it to repeat but end after a set number of occurrences.
3. Bonus! If you enter a due date when creating your task, the task will populate in Google Calendar on the indicated day and time. Now you have a reminder, too. (Of course, if you don’t enter a date, these tasks won’t make their way onto your calendar, but you can still access them on your task list.)
Pro-tip: If you need to break a task into smaller parts, add subtasks and check off each item upon completion rather than crossing out the big task. Learn how here in the Google Workspace Learning Center.
Add Gmail conversations to Google Tasks
To-do lists, forgotten email threads, and incomplete action items, oh my! This quick trick can save time if you’re part of a team or an email-heavy organization. Maybe you need to respond to many emails or some time to complete other items on your to-do list, but you don’t want to forget to respond. Either way, you can use the Gmail and Google Tasks integration for maximum effectiveness. Here’s how:
1. Open Gmail in your desktop web browser and Google Tasks in the right side panel.
2. Now, you can drag and drop an email from your inbox into the Google Tasks panel. Your email will transform into tasks! (You will still need to update the task to your preferences, add a due date, etc. The email subject line will populate as the task name and include a link to the email.)
Pro-tip: You can do this with multiple emails at a time. All you have to do is select multiple emails and click the “Add to Tasks” icon in the action bar.
If you add a due date to these tasks, they should populate on Google Calendar.
How to share tasks in Google Calendar
So, what if you want to share tasks with others? Perhaps you want to delegate something to a colleague or share a task with multiple people involved.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do when sharing tasks in Google Calendar. There aren’t any options within a task to add another person or even share it with them for duplication. While this can complicate collaboration, you can try other workflows instead.
One recommendation is to try a tool like Zapier and create your own custom workflows to share tasks. For example, you can send tasks from Google Tasks to Asana, Trello, Notion, and other project management apps. So, if your team uses a collaborative tool, this is a great way to push information from your task list to the tool.
As an alternative, shared tasks exist in Google Chat and Google Docs, which means you can assign a task to someone else to complete and check the status of a shared task. You can also update a shared task that someone else assigns to you from your task list. If collaboration in these tools specifically is your top priority, check out these Google Tasks Help guides and start sharing tasks:
How to add a notification to a task in Google Calendar
You can set notifications for your tasks by entering a day and time for each task you create. You can think about the date and time as the time to work on the task or when it’s due (meaning you’d probably want to work on it before then). Either way, you need to know that you will receive a reminder for the date and time you set (so choose wisely!)
Follow these steps to set a notification for a task:
1. Open your task panel on the right-hand side of Google Calendar.
2. Click an existing task from your list or create a new one by selecting “Add a task.”
3. Click the “Date/time” icon for new and existing tasks beneath the task description.
4. Use the pop-up to select a date on the calendar. Then, click the “Set time” box to choose a time. Notice that you can choose from a list of times in half-hour increments from 12 am to 12 pm or type in a precise time to an exact minute. The time you select is the time you will receive a notification.
5. If you are setting up a one-time notification, press “OK” to save. Otherwise, you can set a recurring notification by clicking the “Repeat” box below “Set time.” Set your cadence and when you want this repeating task to start and end.
How to complete a task in Google Calendar
The best part of any to-do list is crossing tasks off the list upon completion. Thankfully, it’s easy to mark tasks complete and access your completed tasks for reference. You don’t even need a step-by-step for this one because it’s that simple!
Looking at your tasks in your task list: Once you complete a task, click the open circle to its left. That’s it! The task will move to the Completed list, get a strikethrough line through it, and turn the open circle on the left into a checkmark.
Here are some additional tips for managing completed tasks that may come in handy:
- Your completed tasks will live in the “Completed” section at the bottom of the Tasks sidebar
- If you mistakenly crossed a task off your list or you need to re-open it again for any reason, all you have to do is click the checkmark to its left to indicate that it’s not complete and move it back to your list
- If you prefer not to leave your completed tasks sitting, you can quickly clear out your “Completed” section by clicking on the three dots in the right corner by “Add a task” and selecting “Delete all completed tasks”
- Or you can delete an individual task by hovering over any completed task and clicking the trash can icon on the right
Save time for your tasks with Clockwise
Capturing all of your tasks is only half the battle. With a tool like Clockwise, you can ensure you have enough Focus Time to dig into your work and knock those to-dos out of the park! Clockwise is available for Google Calendar to manage your tasks and time blocks all in one place, so sign up today.
About the author
Alyssa Towns has written productivity and time management content for Clockwise for several years. Early in her career, she dove into time management strategies to effectively manage her workday calendar and 10+ C-Suite officers' calendars across various organizations. She uses her training in change management to write time management, the future of work, and career content that helps people change their behaviors and habits. In addition, she writes about artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology for G2's Learn Hub. When she isn't writing, Alyssa enjoys trying new restaurants with her husband, playing with her Bengal cats, adventuring outdoors, or reading a book from her TBR list.
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