Calendar management is an art of form and can be a job in itself. It requires constant care and maintenance.
To truly take advantage of your workday and smooth out your endeavors, you need an apparatus that you’ll utilize at any rate, that you know and comprehend, and that can fit into your work-life as opposed to compelling you to conform to it.
A Calendar can do that. The majority of the workforce uses calendars, from beauty salons to CEO. Because of it’s methods, it ensures important meetings aren’t missed and hours aren’t twofold reserved. It gives an approach to list assignments and awards them timeframes. A Calendar is a fundamental bit of hierarchical gear. The majority of the workforce uses them; from beauty salons to CEOs, everyone utilizes a calendar.
In this post, we will explore several types of Calendar software and tools that can be used to help with Time Management.
Calendar programming is an advanced choice for paper organizers. Besides giving clients an electronic adaptation of a calendar, the product is basic for time management. It very well may be used to oversee time successfully.
There has been a lot of conversation about how a calendar can fit into one’s efficiency framework. The overall principle is that you add booked arrangements to your calendar, and your task ought to be set into the whichever task management system you use.
TYPES OF CALENDAR SOFTWARE
Monday.com
Monday is a team software with an interactive visual tracking system. It is easy to use because it’s flexible and customizable. Users are able to obtain calendars and other important date information at a glance. The timeline view gets automatically populated and updated when a pulse (task, client, project, etc.) is created and edited regarding its status
Priorities can be set, conversations and files are kept in one place, and mobile apps are available. It integrates with Google Calendar and several other productivity tools. It offers several plans and flexible pricing for sets of five users.
When I Work
When I Work is a free employee scheduling and time tracking software. The online application provides companies and organizations the service of managing their calendar with tools such as an online scheduler, team messaging, mobile apps and free customer support. It has shift notifications, and users will know if an employee has seen their schedule.
For open shifts, they can allow qualified employees to grab available shifts. The calendar will also show if there is a scheduling conflict. Other features include the ability to assign tasks to employees on a daily or weekly basis and compare scheduled labor costs against projected sales.
Mobile apps work in iOS and Android platforms and allow employees to see their schedule and task, clock in, request available shifts, and chat with members and managers.
TimeTap
TimeTap is an appointment scheduling software for small businesses. Service providers and appointment-based businesses can run smarter and more efficiently with this simple application. It has email templates and can auto-detect time zones, so confirmation emails and reminders go out automatically. It integrates with Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook, Office 365, and Live Exchange.
Other features include custom-booking forms, multiple staff calendars, unlimited appointments and clients, and so much more.
Google Calendar
Google Calendar is a time-management and scheduling calendar service developed by Google. It is the favorite up-to-date online tool that assists you in scheduling your time, no matter where you are or when you do it.
18 Features that’ll make you more productive.
I‘m not nearly as well organized as I would like. I am a creature of to-do-lists and calendars ~ if something doesn’t get onto my Google Calendar, I don’t show up for it.
Ethan Zuckerman
With Google Calendar, you can also have your daily agenda from Google Calendar sent directly to your inbox.
Start Each Day With Your Calendar
Once your calendar is set up for the week, start each day looking over it. That way, you know what’s coming up. You can do this by setting up your email client or other technology to show your calendar first. For example, you can set up outlook to show your calendar when you open the program.
Here are a few great tips for planning management with Google Calendar. Hopefully, it will help you increase your productivity.
- Use keyboard shortcut
- Set a custom view
- Customize the display of your Google Calendar
- Add public holidays to Google Calendar
- Include a list of task to your Google Calendar
- Get your schedule by email every day
Use Keyboard Shortcuts
Google Calendar, as if it weren’t already awesome, comes with the following easy-to-use keyboard shortcuts;
- Create event – c
- Event details – e
- Delete event – Backspace or Delete
- Undo last (if possible) – Ctrl+Z or z
- Go to previous time period – k or p
- Go to next time period – j or n
- Refresh the page – r
- Go to today’s view – t
- Day view – 1 or d
- Week view – 2 or w
- Month view – 3 or m
- Custom view – 4 or x
- Agenda view – 5 or a
- Search – /
- Add a calendar – shift += or +
- Quick add – q
- Print – ctrl + p or command + p
- Settings – s
- Keyboard shortcuts menu – ctrl + ? / command + ? or ?
Access the features of https://www.calendar.com/blog/top-keyboard-shortcuts-for-your-calendar/. It is an incredible time saver.
Set A Custom View
It’s easy to customize the view of your Google calendar. Depending on whether you prefer a display of “4 days, 5 days or more”, you can choose between 2-7 days and 2-4 weeks https://www.scottgreenstone.com/2016/07/google-calendar-custom-view.html
Customize Your Calendar Display
Google calendar is very flexible to use. Depending on your wishes, you can customize your calendar display.
The Calendar tool can be customized according to your individual display preferences.
DISPLAY SETTINGS
- The drop-down menu under Calendar Display allows you to select your default view by Month or by Day.
- You may define High, Medium, or Low priority for items on the Calendar. This will change the color of the item as it is displayed on your Calendar. Click on an item type in the list and select the Move Up or Move Down buttons to change the priority level of that item.
- You may also specify custom colors for different priority levels. You may indicate the color by typing in a numerical Hex color value, or by clicking on the color palate icon to bring up a selection of web colors from which to choose.
- Don’t forget to click Update to save any changes.
Add Public Holidays To Google Calendar
Here is a feature that should be nice for everyone. Google Calendar allows you to integrate public holidays or special events automatically. Depending on the countries and cultures, holidays or public holidays can be very different. Google calendar makes your life easier by allowing you to enter your holidays and other special events in your calendar https://itstillworks.com/add-holidays-google-calendar-8115403.html
Include A List Of Tasks To Your Google Calendar
There are many app with a built-in list of tasks to perform. Google Calendar allows you to view all your tasks in your calendar easily.
Though it is not a default settings, this option is very easy to activate: in the left column under the heading “My calendars” click on the “Task” box. Google Calendar also allows you to assign a deadline to a task, which will be displayed in your calendar.
Get Your Schedule By Email Everyday
If your schedule is full, you should find happiness at using Google Calendar. It is possible to receive your google schedule by mail. Getting your daily schedule emailed to you is a great way to prepare for your day.
Own Your Time
7 Essential Calendar Management Skills
- Consolidate
With regards to schedules we as a whole have our own inclinations. A few people actually depend on a paper plan. Others take advantage of goliath divider schedules. Also, there are the individuals who can’t survive without an online calendar app.
There’s no right or wrong calendar as long as it keeps you sorted out and gainful. However, you will typically have the option to discover one that feels great to you.
The issue is that, with certain calendars, you may feel that there are an excessive number of choices. Perhaps you have an appointment written down in your agenda and another that has been naturally added to your online schedule. Subsequently, you get effectively befuddled and start twofold reserving.
So as to deal with your calendar like a pro, consolidate to only one schedule. Thusly, you have everything in one location. The less, the better.
2. Create A Routine
Before I head to sleep each night, I have clear thought on what my day will resemble tomorrow. I have an overall comprehension about what one week from now, month, and even one year from now will resemble. The explanation? I utilize my online schedule to make and adhere to an every day schedule online calendar to create and stick to a daily routine.
Make explicit squares of time for explicit exercises so you’ll have the option to make sense of how to keep your schedule sorted out so you won’t overlap any task or meetings. It additionally ensures that you’ll remain productive because if it’s not planned, you don’t do it.
Here are a couple of time management books to help with this.
3. Group Similar Activities In Blocks
How many times have you been in the middle of working on a project only to stop because you need to attend a meeting or respond to an email? That definitely hinders your productivity. That’s because when we get interrupted it takes about 25minutes to resume the task at hand.
To make sure you stay on track, stop multitasking and start single tasking by:
- Scheduling and grouping similar activities together, aka batching. This helps you enter a flow state, reduces stress, save time, and keeps you focused and energetic.
- Schedule similar meetings on the same day so that you remain in that flow. Also, the information is still fresh in your mind.
- Schedule blocks of free time, as well as blocks for rest and lunch. This gives you a chance to ret, refocus, and recharge so that you can power through the rest of the day.
4. Optimize Time For Various Meetings
Whenever scheduling a meeting the default is always an hour in your online calendar. The thing is, you don’t always need to set aside that much time for every meeting.
For example, for an introductory meeting, schedule a ten-minute phone call. This way, you can get right to the point. More importantly, if you feel that the relationship isn’t beneficial, you only used-up ten minutes of your day.
If you already know the person, then block out 45 minutes, along with 15 minutes of travel, to catch up with them at a nearby coffee shop. If you’re sharing advice, limit the conversation between 10-15 minutes. Only hold weekly staff meetings that are between 20-30 minutes.
5. Eliminate Back-to-Back Appointments
Scheduling back-to-back appointments/meetings are never a good idea. This is a sure way to guarantee you’ll be late for your second meeting. Some meetings run longer than expected. If it’s a meeting offsite, you’ll need several minutes to prepare, or you may get stuck in traffic.
Having a 15 minute buffer time between meetings can be a good thing – 30 minutes if offsite. This will give you a chance to catch your breath, refocus and ensure that you’re never late to a meeting.
6. Clear The Clutter
Want to lose complete control of your calendar? Let it get so full of clutter that it is bursting at the seams.
This mean your calendar is full of:
- Standing meetings, like “check-ins”
- Meetings without an agenda or purpose
- Recurring events and commitments that no longer fit into your schedule
- Filling your calendar with minute tasks
- Scheduling activities that are second nature
Take a couple of minutes and clear the clutter off your calendar. It will keep it lean, mean, and much easier to manage.
Related Topic: Time Management Hacks That Very Successful People Practice Daily
7. Just Say “NO”
If you’re constantly saying ‘yes’ to each and every request and invite, then expect your calendar to become jam-packed with tasks and events that aren’t your own. Eg. instead of having blocks of time for your work, they’re filled with helping other people finish their work. Instead of having your weekends open to go hiking or taking a cooking class, you’re going to party after party.
This doesn’t mean you can’t every say “yes”. It means setting boundaries so that your calendar remains in your control.
Conclusion
Calendar software ultimately saves time for user and their clients, and it creates savings for the business. Whether helping the team boost its productivity, making most of employee time or increasing the availability and profit of a business, time management plays a crucial part in achieving these goals.
So before filling your calendar-up with standing appointments, conduct your own weekly review where you:
- Review the Past. Look over last week’s calendar. You may have overlooked something like sending a follow-up email.
- Review Plans for the Future. This will remind you of any upcoming appointments or meetings so that you’ll be prepared.
- Start Your Week on a Good Mindset. Reviewing your calendar on a Sunday night or Monday morning ensures that you’ll be proactive and prepared for the upcoming week.
A simple way to be more effective in managing time is to start a calendar program of your preference.