Every user will get Task and Notification reminders when specific events occur. Most of these events can be set in your user settings for getting emails or in-system notifications about. It is typically in the best interest of the user to stay as informed as possible about workflow events. Managers may also opt to lock certain settings to prevent anyone from being out of the loop. Simply click the "Clipboard" or "Mail" icons in the upper-right to open the Task and Notification panel.
A live count of the unread Tasks and Notifications can be found in the top right of your screen
Tasks
If your account is set up where you are someone who can be assigned as a POC (Sales, Production, Writing, etc.) the Task notifications tell you when your attention, talent, or services are needed. Each task or job assigned to you may generate a notification that can be clicked on to navigate to the request you are now a POC on.
Notifications
For any workflow event that you've enabled an in-system notification for, you will receive that notice in real-time as it occurs. Just like tasks, you can click on the notification event to instantly navigate to a focused view or "Quick Filter" on the relevant request(s).
Read/Unread/Clear
Tasks and Notification can stack up. At any time you have the ability to clear them out individually or in bulk to stay on top of relevant information.
Every Task and Notification also has a Read and Unread state, much like emails. This helps you stay on top of which you have previously clicked on (Read) or which you've yet to investigate (Unread). All unread notifications show up in bold, while the ones you've already clicked on have faded text. You'll also find an "x" icon to the right for clearing individual notifications out if they've already been read/clicked on. You'll also find sorting and Bulk Action menus at the top for Tasks and Notifications.
Just be careful clearing out ALL UNREAD - you could miss something!