You forgot your aunt’s birthday, again! Now you feel shame and guilt while finding a way to profusely apologize.
Ugh, I completely forgot I have to go to BBQ this Saturday, and I also told my friend I will go to brunch with her. Now I have to find a way to tell my friend I won’t be able to make it, even though I committed.
Wait, when is my doctor’s appointment? Making a mental reminder to check when I get home and have my notebook in front of me.
That was me 5 years ago, until I learned about a God’s gift called Google Calendar. If you don’t currently use Google Calendar or you are using it but not to it’s full potential keep on reading. Below I will briefly cover three points that will allow you to increase your productivity in life.
Table of Contents
Google Calendar: Why you should use it
Having Google Calendar is allowing you to have half of your thinking power back and use that extra brain somewhere else. No more scrambling and trying to remember what your schedule looks like a week from now. Here are some of the benefits of using Google Calendar.
- Google Calendar will keep you accountable – no more double booking yourself
- Visual time blocking that Google Calendar offers will help you get more done in your day
- Ability to set up multiple different reminders will allow you to remember any important dates, deadlines, appointments and birthdays ahead of the time
Google Calendar Features
Google calendar vs Apple calendar vs Outlook calendar
Ok, now you are wondering why am I hyping up Google Calendar when you might be able to do these things on all other calendar applications? These are not all, but for me the best Google Calendar Features that allowed me to boost up my productivity.
Easy access on all devices
Access on mobile application or web browser
If we compare Google calendar with Apple Calendar or Outlook Calendar, Google Calendar is a winner by a lot. Like Usain Bolt competing with Divison 3 track and field athletes.
Apple’s Calendar is created for iOS devices which means they have a closed tech ecosystem. If you are at your work’s PC and you have to schedule a doctor’s appointment or a happy hour right there on the spot, you will not be able to do it unless you pull out your phone.
With Google Calendar, you can open it up on your browser and voila! Google calendar can be easily accessed on all devices – it doesn’t matter if it’s an android, iPhone, Macbook or PC. That is not the case with Apple products and Outlook calendar is still trying to get used to the fact that it’s not 2012 but 2022.
Different Calendar Views
View as many days ahead as you’d like
There are so many options to have your calendar laid out! I am not talking about default options like daily view, week, month and year. But you can also see your schedule within the next 4 days, or make it custom and see the next 2 – 7 days or 2 – 4 weeks ahead. Here is how you can do it:
- When you open the calendar in your browser, click on the gear icon (top right) and select Settings
- Go to General >> View Options in the settings menu
- Click the arrow in the dropdown menu to select what you would like your custom view to be
- Return to your Calendar Homepage and select the custom calendar view from the dropdown menu in the top right-hand corner
Start your week on any day you like
All other calendars have options to start your week on a Sunday or a Monday. But what if you want your week to start on a Wednesday or a Saturday?! You can set that up in your Google Calendar settings.
- Go to Settings >> General
- Select View Options
- Click on the dropdown box that says Start Week On >> select which day of the week you would like your calendar to start on
Feel like a CEO and get your Daily Agenda emailed to you each morning
If you want to feel super productive, you can also choose to have your daily agenda emailed to you each morning so you know what your day ahead will look like. Turn on Email For Daily Agenda and Google Calendar will automatically send you an email each morning with a list of events you have that day.
- Go to Settings and select Settings For My Calendars
- Select the calendar you wish to receive notifications from
- Under Other Notifications, select Email next to Daily Agenda
Recover your deleted items
You accidentally deleted an event, and now you are panicking. Do not fret! Google Calendar has a trash folder! 🙂 Amazing, I know, right?!
This feature is available on desktop so press Ctrl+Z on Windows, or command+Z on a Mac. Or simply go to Settings >> Trash and you will be able to see all items you have deleted.
Integrated with Google Maps
Sometimes you need to schedule an event without having a location in the appointment. That’s when I get the most annoyed with the Outlook calendar, which I have to use for work.
Are you sure you want to schedule this meeting without the location? Ugh, yes, yes I am sure.
But sometimes, you need your locations to be specific because it’s a brand new place you have to be at. That’s why I love Google Calendar! No need to enter the calendar, click on the meeting, copy the location, exit the app, open the maps app, paste the location. That’s 6 clicks right there.
But not with Google Calendar. When you have a location of the meeting in your Google calendar, all you have to do is click on the location and your Maps application will automatically open.
Custom notifications
Some events heed no warnings, while others need to be announced several times. There are some things in my life that I need to prepare for 2 weeks ahead, then again 3 days ahead and 1 hour ahead. Google Calendar allows you to set up multiple reminders, as opposed to only one. Gotta love it.
Start with Google Calendar
If you don’t have your Google email account, create one ASAP! 🙂 But assuming that you do, here is how to get started with your Google Calendar.
- On desktop, sign in or sign up to Gmail
- On left hand side, next to Other Calendars click on a + sign, and then click Create new calendar
- Start by creating these 3 calendars
- Finances – fill in your paydays and all the bills.
- Birthdays – never forget birthdays and anniversaries anymore 😀
- Doctor’s appointments
- Start filling in your days. Make sure that you make your bills, paydays, anniversaries and birthdays recurring each week, month and year!
These are the bare bones of how to start with your Google calendar. In the next post I will go over some hacks and aesthetics. 🙂
Do you use Google Calendar? What do you like the most about it?
