Using a summary view in Outlook (or your PIM of choice) is a good way of finding out what kind of day it's going to be. Like most things to do with productivity, what seemed like a good idea to the Outlook Team might not be how you want to work. I now keep my Task list in a filofax, so there's not need to waste screen space with that information.

Digital Streets has a very useful article on how to create a personalised Today view. It's all done in HTML so it's easy to follow. It also means that you are not editing crucial Outlook files, the new Today view can be a completely new file.

I'm encouraged to experiment by the big and friendly 'Restore Defaults' button. It removed my quick changes without any fuss.