The daily summary email in Task List by Zaweba
Task List by Zaweba can email you each morning with today's tasks, overdue tasks and the day's reminders, at 07:30 or whenever you choose.
The daily summary is an optional email from Task List by Zaweba that lands at a time you choose, 07:30 unless you change it. It lists today's tasks, anything overdue and the day's reminders. Read it on your phone over breakfast or on the train, and you know the shape of the day before you sit down at the PC.
It is a small feature with a clear job. The app lives on your PC, and the email carries the day's plan to wherever you are.
Setting up email first
The daily summary uses the same email settings as reminders, so set those up first. In Settings, the Email section asks for the server, port, security, sign-in, From address and To address. You can send to several addresses by separating them with semicolons.
If you use Gmail, the Use Gmail button fills in smtp.gmail.com, port 587 and STARTTLS, and shows instructions for creating a Google app password, which is what Gmail expects from a program like this. Your password is stored encrypted with Windows' own protection.
Then press Send a test email. If it arrives, everything is ready. If it does not, check the sign-in details and the app password before going further.
Turning on the summary
With email working, turn on the daily summary and choose the time. Early is usually best: before you start work, so the email is waiting when you check your inbox. Some people prefer the evening before, which turns the summary into a plan for tomorrow.
If the PC was off at the chosen time, the summary is sent once when Task List next starts, so you do not lose a day's email because the computer was asleep. Failed emails are retried three times over 15 minutes.
What is in it
Three things: tasks due today, tasks that are overdue, and reminders set for the day. It mirrors the Today smart view plus the day's reminders, which is the information that changes your plans. Long-range items, starred tasks without dates and lists of ideas stay in the app where they belong.
Making the summary useful
A summary is only as good as the dates behind it. Give due dates to tasks that really have them, and leave dates off tasks that do not, so the email does not fill up with false alarms. Keep the overdue part short by looking at the Overdue view once a week and deciding about each item.
If the email feels too long to read, that is useful information in itself. It usually means too many tasks carry today's date. Move some to later in the week.
Who it suits
It suits anyone who plans their day before reaching a desk, anyone who shares a PC at home and wants their list without opening the app, and small business owners who like a morning check of filing dates and renewals. Pair it with annual reminders for MOTs, insurance and tax dates, and the summary will mention them on the day.
What leaves your PC
Task List keeps everything on your PC with no account or cloud. The summary is the one thing that leaves, and only because you set it up, through your own mail account, to the addresses you chose. The email password is never included in a backup export, and Send a test email lets you check the route before anything is sent for real.
