1.

Click the To Do button in the bottom-right corner of the window.

2.

Double-click in the white area of the To Do list.

3.

Type a name for the new To Do item, then press the Return key.

4.

To choose other settings for this To Do item (for example, to assign a due date or priority level), select the To Do item and click the Info button in the bottom-right corner of the iCal window.

5.

To rate the To Do item in terms of importance, choose a rating from the "priority" pop-up menu.

The priority icon appears to the right of the item in the To Do list. One bar means "Not important," two bars means Important, and three bars is "Very important." For more information about the symbols that appear in iCal, click "Tell me more."

You can also change the priority by clicking the appropriate number of bars in the priority icon.

6.

To assign the item a due date, select the "due date" checkbox and click the month, day, or year to edit when you want to complete it.

If the due date passes before you mark the To Do item as completed, an alert icon appears beside the item. (You mark an item as completed by clicking the checkbox next to it in the To Do list, or by selecting the "completed" checkbox in the Info drawer.)

7.

To receive a message or hear a sound before the due date passes, choose an item from the "alarm" pop-up menu.

You can set an alarm only for To Do items that have a due date (in the Info drawer). For more information on setting an alarm, click "Tell me more."

8.

To associate the To Do item with a different calendar, choose a new calendar from the "calendar" pop-up menu.

When you've completed a task, click its checkbox (or if you see a triangle, click the triangle) in the To Do list.