7 Calendar Features You May Not Be Using — But Should

The world is busier than ever — hustle and bustle are the secret — and it may be arduous to maintain up with all of it. To assist, most individuals use a calendar in some type or one other; certainly, many individuals have a number of calendars. From a big desk planner to the lovable designs you’ll be able to hold in your wall, calendars assist hold you on monitor.

Solely within the final decade or so have increasingly folks come to make use of a digital calendar, which might act like your private assistant. Nonetheless, so many options of the digital calendar go underutilized when utilizing them may dramatically change your workday and even your life.

1. Syncing

Should you’re utilizing a digital calendar like Calendar, Google Calendar, or Microsoft Outlook, you most likely have a number of variations arrange for various areas of your life. The obvious are household, private, and work. You’ll want to keep in mind your child’s soccer sport, your afternoon yoga class, and that huge assembly after lunch. All of that is nice until your whole calendars aren’t synced.

Syncing your varied calendars will make sure you don’t overextend your self. It should additionally enable anybody else including objects to your calendar — your assistant, your partner, or a group member — to keep away from double-booking you. You possibly can sync your calendars each inside a single software or throughout your units. So, in case you have Google Calendar for work however use Microsoft Outlook for your loved ones, you will get them on the identical web page. Syncing your calendars requires a step-by-step process, however when you’ve executed it, your life will probably really feel far more streamlined.

2. Reminders and Alerts

Gone are the times when you can merely schedule one thing in your planner and belief that you’d keep in mind it. Possibly you’d evaluation your day prematurely and lock it into your reminiscence. No — now you will have dozens of to-dos all in sooner or later, and lacking one might be catastrophic. Everybody has executed it. You missed your child’s efficiency within the play since you bought caught up in a gathering. You had been late to your assembly as a result of your focus time ran lengthy.

It occurs, however it doesn’t need to. Set reminders for your self in your calendar to keep away from these frequent mix-ups and errors. You possibly can alert your self the day earlier than, an hour earlier than, and 10 minutes earlier than. Why not do all three? Lacking the important issues in life and work doesn’t imply you don’t care; it simply means you’re not ready. Set reminders and alerts and goal to by no means miss one other essential a part of life.

3. Sharing

If you’re on any group, try to be sharing your calendar. Most individuals are on a number of groups. Give it some thought — you will have your loved ones, employees, coworkers, mates, and perhaps even prolonged household. All of those small teams make up groups, and also you probably have duties, gatherings, and conferences to carry out and attend collectively. Some of the essential features of a robust, cohesive group is getting everybody on the identical web page.

You don’t need to have a social gathering and overlook to ask considered one of your folks. Likewise, you’ll be able to’t successfully lead a venture with out preserving everybody conscious of the benchmarks and deadlines. Calendar sharing is right for preserving everybody on monitor of what’s taking place. Everybody on the group can add objects, and everybody will get alerts once they’re added. Then, should you’ve synced your calendars, you’ll ensure to not overbook your self — it’s a win/win.

4. Particulars for Conferences

Whereas many groups have conferences scheduled on the calendar, not all groups add particulars. You’ve probably heard the jokes and sarcastic remarks about how “this assembly may have been an e mail.” Most individuals don’t get pleasure from ineffective conferences or feeling like their time has been wasted. Additionally they don’t like feeling blindsided.

To assist get your group on board and even excited in regards to the upcoming assembly, embrace detailed notes. Similar to once you had been at school, the instructor typically gave you a heads-up about what was to return. You had studying to do, notes to evaluation, and so on. Whenever you embrace ample notes within the calendar for an upcoming assembly, you give this advance discover to your group. They’ll come into the session targeted, ready, and engaged.

5. Reserving Assembly Rooms

Keep in mind, persons are already busier than they’ve ever been. So, everytime you’re tasked with main or scheduling something for others, make it as straightforward as doable on them. One of many craziest components of becoming a member of a gathering is attempting to get there within the first place. Once more, again to the varsity reference, your first time on campus, racing to discover a classroom you’ve by no means seen is irritating. You arrive stressed and flustered.

The identical nervousness happens when employees members try to get to a gathering — be it digital or in individual. Should you’re scheduling a digital assembly, embrace the Zoom or Google Groups hyperlink within the calendar occasion. Should you’re gathering in a bodily location, guarantee all the small print for the house are included within the occasion. And, after all, ensure you’re booking facilities like a pro. Your group will thanks for it.

6. Out of Workplace

One of many best options for these with full lives is the “Out of Workplace” possibility. Should you’re not utilizing this characteristic but, you most likely have to enter your calendar and tick issues off individually. You’ve canceled every assembly, rescheduled every appointment, and despatched your apologies. It’s time-consuming for you and certain annoying for anybody hoping to get your time.

As an alternative of this grueling method, you’ll be able to merely go into your calendar and schedule your self out of the workplace forward of time. As soon as you intend a trip, let your calendar know. That method, you and anybody else who provides objects to your days shall be alerted to keep away from planning at the moment. You possibly can schedule your self out of the workplace for per week or two or simply a day. And also you received’t need to disappoint anybody with last-minute cancellations.

7. Focus Time

Talking of day trip, you can too take time in. Time blocking isn’t a brand new phenomenon in calendars, however it’s getting extra consideration these days. Time blocking happens once you block time in your calendar for productive “deep” work, relaxation, and even play. Whenever you schedule this manner, you power your self to do what must be executed. Much more essential, you prohibit your self from performing different unrelated duties throughout that point.

Focus time is likely one of the finest time blocks you’ll be able to plan for your self. Schedule it in your digital calendar, sync it, and share it with everybody. Focus time is the block, perhaps two hours, once you don’t reply calls or emails, you shut your door, and also you, sure, focus. Select the time when you recognize your mind is firing at its finest, schedule focus time, and get your work executed.

In the end, these calendar instruments are value the additional time it could take you to learn to use them. They’ll make your work time extra productive, your playtime extra relaxed, and your life simpler to handle. And don’t overlook to make use of your calendar’s insights on the finish of every week and month to look again and mirror. Discovering what works and what doesn’t will assist you to transfer ahead extra successfully. Quickly, your schedule could really feel extra manageable, and also you may discover your self respiration extra simply.

Featured Picture Credit score: Picture by Antoni Shkraba; Pexels

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