There is now a "tasks" link in the upper right-hand corner of the Google Calendar page. Once you click on it, a box will come up on the opposite side of the screen, where you can add tasks in list form. They come with checkboxes so you can check them off as you accomplish them, and a form to enter a due date. The task will then appear on your calendar on the day it is due.

Once you have completed a task, you can check the box, and it will automatically cross that task out both in the list and on the calendar.

Calendar-specific additions to the tasks feature as Google notes include: 

- Tasks that have due dates will automatically appear on your calendar. To create a task with a due date in Calendar, click on an empty space in month view or the all-day section of week view, and be sure select the "Task" option.

- To attach a due date to an existing task, click the right-arrow from within the task list, and then click on the calendar icon.

-  You can modify a task’s due date by dragging it to a different date, just as you would with a regular calendar event.

-  To mark a task completed from within Calendar, just click on the task’s checkbox. (Isn’t that satisfying, overachievers?)

-  To keep track of due dates before they arrive, there’s a nifty new "Sort by due date" feature available in the Actions menu at the bottom of your task list. While sorting by due date, you can reschedule a task by clicking on it in your list, then pressing control and the up or down arrow key.

Google Calendar has long been a fantastic organizational tool. This has just stepped it up in that department even more.

Users can now easily move a task (along with its sub-tasks) to another list by clicking on the arrow (or using Shift-Enter) to the right of the task, then selecting another list in the drop down at the bottom of the screen.

The second new feature lets users split a single task into two separate tasks or merge two into one. This is done by simply pressing enter or backspace as you would in any word processor.

Don’t forget that Google also offers a mobile version of Tasks for iPhones and Android devices (it’s also accessible by any xhtml-enabled phone).

To activate the Tasks lab, go to the Labs tab under your Gmail settings. You will find it near your contacts. Google says more tweaks to Tasks are being worked on.

"We put your tasks in the same kind of window as chats, so they’re visible while you’re scanning your inbox, reading mail, or searching (and in Settings, too!)," says the Tasks Team. "Just pop your list out into a new window to use Tasks outside of Gmail."

The feature allows you to convert emails to tasks by selecting one or more messages and going to:

More Actions > Add to Tasks. (Or turn on keyboard shortcuts and use <shift> + t.)

Other recent Gmail features include the addition of voice and video chat, and a gadget for Google Desktop that allows users to login to multiple accounts at once.

As far as the Tasks feature, the team says they have plenty more features for it in the works, and they’re calling for feedback on it to get even more ideas. You can reach them here.