There's nothing to figure out, because what you want to do is not possible. The values available for the Status field are tied to an enumeration in the Outlook object model, so they can't be changed.

While you could customize a task form to add a custom page with a combo box for a custom field, custom dropdowns in the folder view are also not supported.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx

"optimist" wrote in message ...
I use the status field in the Tasks Folder of Outlook to keep track of
different stages of completion in the production of my work. I would like to
customize the pull down choices in that field, so I don't have to retype the
same thing all the time. I can't figure out how to customize the choices or
add to the choices. Any help is appreciated. My son said I needed to find
someone that knows Visual Basic for Outlook, but that seems like overkill for
my problem. Does anyone know how to customize the existing pull down in the
existing "Status" Field. Thank you, Steve