Where Are My Tasks?
When you star or label emails to create tasks, you usually see them immediately. If not, click Refresh in the RTM gadget and the tasks will appear.
Create Tasks in Gmail (Using the RTM Add-on)
If you set up the RTM Add-on for Gmail, you are ready to automatically create tasks out of your emails. This may not sound like much, but it will be one of your most productive time-management tools. It will allow you to keep your email inbox free of tasks and unread email. Your inbox will soon go to zero every day, without stress.
To create a task from an email, use the method you selected to tell Gmail to create the task:
- Star the email,
OR - Click Labels while viewing the (selected) task, and choosing [Action],
OR - Click More Actions > Create Task, while looking at the (selected) email.
After creating the task this way, click the Archive button to store the email. Later, you will be able to find it easily using the Search feature, which taps into the full power of Google search technology.
Forwarding Emails to RTM (to Create Tasks)
You can turn emails into tasks by forwarding them to your RTM Inbox. This also works for collecting brand new tasks. This means that anywhere you have email access, you can collect, triage, or process.
Use your RTM Inbox contact for emailing tasks. You already set this up when you set up Remember the Milk.
Triage “Hot” Emails Immediately with RTM
Unfortunately, Remember the Milk has no Recent Tasks list and no way to sort the Unprocessed Tasks list with recent items first. This means it’s a good idea to fully-process each “hot” triaged email as you encounter it. Otherwise, you’ll need to skim your entire Unprocessed Tasks list for “hot” ones after you triage.
To fully process “hot” emails, use the email processing codes described below.
Email Processing Codes
Get Them Right!
It’s important to get these codes right, or no task will be created!
To collect, triage, and even fully process a task, type special email codes at the top to assign a task name, priority, due date, and tags. At the end of your codes (before the start of the original email) add three hyphens. Everything below the hyphens will show up as notes in the task.
Here are all the codes you need:
| Email Codes | Meaning |
|---|---|
| T: task name or Task: task name |
Name the task. If you don’t type in a task name, the email subject line is used. |
| P: 1-3 or Priority: 1-3 |
Set the task’s soft date (Priority). |
| Due: | Set the hard date (e.g., 12/25/2012). |
| Tags: list of tags | Assign tags. Separate multiple tags with spaces. |
| — | Append notes. Everything below the three hyphens is included in your notes. You must enter three hyphens to keep the body of your email in the notes. |
RTM Email Examples
The Hyphens Are Important
Use the three hyphens “—” in every email, hot or not, that you forward to RTM. This puts the email text into the task notes for easy reference.
Creating a new task via email:
(Email subject line)
Account Reports - WF Tom to fax reports
(Body of email)
Priority: 1
Due: Friday
Tags: .Work, Accounts
---
When reports come in, Susan wants to see them pronto.
Look for $1,200 error
Forwarding an email as a new task:
(Email subject line is the default task title)
Current email subject line (Body of email)
Task: Optional new task title goes here
Priority: 2
Due: Next week
Tags: .Personal, Calls
---
(Original email text below three hyphens is saved in the task notes)
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