The most efficient people know how to manage their schedule and, at the same time, use the best tools to boost their productivity. If you’re struggling to stay on top of your schedule and allot time for both work and pleasure, here are calendar hacks that will allow you to manage your career and personal life a lot better.
Color code:
Here’s one of the most popular Google calendar hacks among visual people: color-coding. Most digital calendars allow a user to assign colors to each entry. That said, you can take advantage of this feature to group your entries following color codes.
For instance, you can color all deadlines in red and use a yellow dot for meetings. On the other hand, you can also assign a color to entries that you can reschedule or postpone. That way, a quick glance at your calendar can instantly give you a good idea of how your day will be like.
Use appointment slots:
If you attend many meetings every day, this is one of the calendar hacks you should keep in mind. Try using appointment slots so that you can block off certain periods for events or tasks.
It’s fairly easy to use this feature. You only need to click anywhere on the Google calendar and create an appointment slot. By doing so, you’re blocking off that specific period, and no one will be able to reserve it.
Make sure to sync
Most calendar hacks work for iOS and Android. But here’s one of the Apple calendar hacks any iOS user must know – make sure to sync your Google calendar. By doing so, you’ll see the same schedule across all your devices.
It goes without saying that this is crucial if you use multiple devices for various uses. Whether you’re using a Windows PC for work, an Android phone for personal use, and an iPhone for office use, make sure they’re all showing the same calendar schedule.
Use reminders
Here’s one of those calendar hacks that will help ensure you’re always on time for your meetings. When setting up your schedule or accepting meeting invitations, add a reminder a few minutes ahead of schedule.
For example, you can set the app to remind you of the appointment one hour or 30 minutes before a meeting. Even if it’s only a virtual one, this lead time can help you prepare your device and video call app ahead of time. Also, it will allow you to gather your notes and other materials before you join the meeting.
Use recurring events feature
Whether you’re using a Google calendar desktop or phone app, using the recurring events feature will help you save time creating an event over and over.
For example, if you regularly have town hall meetings every Monday at 9:00 a.m., you can set the same entry every week automatically. Just go to the entry, select repeat every week, and you’re good to go. You can also set the entry to repeat every week, month, year, or using a custom schedule.
Check out calendar extensions
Aside from default features, you can also look for the best Google calendar add-ons for students, entrepreneurs, or workers to maximize the app. For example, a tool like Timely can help you track time across events and meetings. As a result, you’ll know billable hours from delayed or overrunning meetings.
A tool like Event Merge, on the other hand, helps streamline multiple calendars simultaneously. For example, it can merge similar events into a color-coded entry so that you can easily keep track of your day. That said, there are many other extensions available out there, many of them for free. All you have to do is to look for a tool that addresses your particular pain point.
