Use the Floating Task Pane
One of the most exciting additions to Office XP—the task pane—can be resized and repositioned to fit the way you work.
To adjust the width of a docked task pane, move the pointer over the left edge until the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow. Then click the edge, and drag to the desired width.
To make the task pane float, double-click its title bar. You can then move it to any position on the page. To return the task pane to its docked position, simply double-click the title bar again.
To adjust the size of a floating task pane, move the pointer over any edge until the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow. Then click the edge, and drag to the desired size.