Calendar FAQ

Q. “What’s the difference between a task and an event, and when should I use them?”

A. The difference between a task and an event is the time frame the activity revolves around. Events are designed to take place at a specific day and time, whereas tasks are assigned only a completion date. For example a follow-up event would be a conference call, or board meeting—“I have to be here, at a specific time, for this event.” If the specified time passes and you weren’t present, you missed the event.

A task is a to-do item with a more general completion time frame. For example, “I need to fax a pricing sheet to Jim sometime before Friday the 15th.” Jim doesn’t care when or how; as long as you get the sheet to him sometime on or before the 15th the task is complete.

Q. “What’s the difference between using the “Add Task” or “Add Event” options and using the “Log Activity” action?

A. The Add Task and Add Event options are used to place something on calendar in the future, the assumption being that you will then complete the action to log it with the appropriate record. The Log Activity button makes a completed activity log as if you had just completed an action without the activity being on the calendar before hand. For example, you called an account today, but didn’t have an event on the calendar to make a record of the call. Instead of having to create the event, then complete the event (adding two additional steps to the process) you could instead use the Log Activity function to create and complete the action in one step.