I created a button on my toolbar to hide the Task Pane
when I want to.
Also, I was surprised to find that the task pane can be
detached and resized like other toolbars. It's sometimes
more convenient to put the task pane elsewhere on the
screen or make it really small. That might be helpful for
someone who likes working with the clipboard in the task
pane.
Finally, the slide layout task pane and start up task pane
contains a check box that allows you to display or hide it on
start up. (Obviously Steve knows all about this... just some
hints for the uninitiated.

)
- Jeff Chapman