Microsoft Planner and To Do can feel like they’re stepping on each other’s toes. Two task tools, one Microsoft 365 subscription – which one do you use? The answer is both, and once you see how they fit together, it actually makes a lot of sense.
What Each One Does Best
Microsoft Planner is built for team tasks. It’s visual, it’s collaborative, and it’s great for tracking what’s happening across a project. You can assign tasks to colleagues, set due dates, attach files, and see everything laid out on a board. If you’ve ever used Trello, Planner will feel familiar.
Microsoft To Do, on the other hand, is personal. It’s where your individual to-do list lives – the tasks assigned to you, the reminders you set for yourself, the things you need to get done today. It’s quick, clean, and sits neatly in your pocket via the mobile app.
Here’s Where It Gets Clever
When someone assigns you a task in Planner, it automatically appears in your To Do list under a section called Assigned to Me. So you get the team overview in Planner and your personal action list in To Do – without having to manage two separate systems.
My Day is Worth Using
To Do has a My Day view that lets you pull in tasks from different lists and plan your day without being overwhelmed by everything on your plate. Spend five minutes at the start of each morning picking what you’ll actually focus on – it’s a simple habit that makes a real difference.
Getting Your Team Set Up
If your team isn’t using Planner yet, it’s one of the quickest wins you can make inside Microsoft 365. It’s already included in most subscriptions, it integrates directly with Teams, and it gives everyone visibility over who’s doing what.
Want help setting it up properly from the start? We can walk you through it.
