Why I switched from Planners to Google Calendar
You know, the friend who always has to tell you what I just discovered. Everyone has one. We are the ones who send texts like, “Ahhh try Google Calendar! I didn’t know how convenient it is!” Seriously. Could you do it? “We are also pushing and want to make your life easier because we love YOU so much!”
As an introvert, I consider those of you who visit this website frequently to be my friends. Real friends. When I tell my husband about my day, I call you “my friend__.” A little odd? Maybe. I don’t know any other way. I can only do the surface level. And I am not interested in changing that. I love people. I have a lot of quirks, but there are worse things to be. ?
Now, let’s get to the good stuff. I’ve found something that I must “text” you.
I am a bit of a planner hoarder. Also, I have several paper calendars in our house. Over the years, I have created a variety of daily agenda planners. My last blog post included a weekly printable. My obsession with office supplies and stationery has lasted for years, but now I have made the difficult choice to convert my new digital calendar into a list of all my tasks and events. Feels. Awesome.
Google Calendar: Make your life easier
My husband’s travel schedule and my work schedule were all busy, but I still forgot or was running late for everything. Why? Why? What’s the answer? Google Calendar. You can add multiple reminders with details for upcoming events, schedule meetings, and include people in reminders.
Want to know more about why I switched from my Perfect Planners to Google Calendar? Continue reading to learn how Google Calendar can work for you.
Color-Coded Events for Each Family Member
Is it possible to do this on paper? Yes. This is my main reason. No. Is that right? It’s kind of… I like bright, happy colors. Being able to choose my HTML colors makes me smile. I added funny emojis because why not??
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Synchronize your calendars with your significant other
It’s amazing how many times my husband has told me his travel dates, but I have forgotten to record them, or they have changed. Now, he can update his Google Calendar, and the event will automatically sync with mine. He can also see all the activities of his child months in advance, so he knows when to ask for time off.
Receive multiple reminders for scheduled events and tasks.
You can also set up multiple notifications for events days or even hours in advance so that you are more likely to remember important appointments.
Add an appointment while out and about.
You just finished your dental appointment and scheduled your follow-up in six months. Either you forgot to bring your planner, or it does not go out for another six months. Add it right away to your Google Calendar. You won’t have to dig through your purse for the appointment card, add it to a paper planner, or even forget about the appointment.
Add events automatically from Gmail.
Google Calendar asks me if I want to add things to my calendar like “tomorrow, at 2”. You can add a Google Hangout video call with a guestlist to the meeting and streamline your schedule.
You can toggle between calendars
It is useful when you only need to see your work schedule and to concentrate on family after the workday. You can hide any calendar and then have it pop up later.
Embed Your Calendar
Are you an independent business owner? Your calendar can be embedded into your booking page, making it easier to schedule meetings with clients. It doesn’t get simpler than that.
Print Your Calendar
You can print your calendar if you need a copy on paper.
Choose the calendar layout that works for you.
You can view your events in a daily or weekly calendar or a monthly, annual, or schedule format. You can choose the view that is most convenient for you. You can switch between all calendar views on multiple devices.
To-do lists can be created using Google Tasks.
Do you have a thousand to-do lists scattered all over your desk? Google Tasks allows you to create a to-do page right on your calendar. With your schedule in the forefront, you can add tasks, check off items, and more. This is a great tool for list-makers.
Compatibility
It’s Google, you all. It’s compatible on almost every electronic device, either through the Chrome extension or mobile app. Most businesses will also likely have a Google Calendar. This has been very useful for me in the past, especially with my child’s school schedule. You can add events from the district’s public calendar to your own or add them selectively. This feature is amazing. I am always up to date with events.
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Setting Up and using Google Calendar for Scheduling
Google Calendar is great. That’s enough. You can easily connect your phone to Google Calendar so that you always have a calendar at your fingertips and are aware of what you need to do, no matter where in the world you may be.
If you do not already have a Google Account, create one. You can start a Google My Business if you are using it strictly for business.
Add calendars to work, family, pets, etc. You can toggle between the two. Click the grid of dots at the top-right corner of your screen to access all Google applications. Calendar allows you to view and modify your calendars.
Use different colors for each event and calendar. Colors that you find most appealing to your senses are the best colors for you. My work calendar is in pink, and my children’s are in bright yellow. It can be useful to see other people’s schedules when working in a group (especially if you are scheduling meetings so that everyone is available).
Download the Google Calendar App to your phone. No matter if your phone is an iPhone or Android, the colors and emojis will sync. It’s also a great way to add dates while out and about. It also adds cute backgrounds based on the content you enter. Check out the locations for soccer and hair appointments in the screenshot below.
Set your working hours to prevent people from scheduling meetings outside these hours. This can be done under Settings (gear icon > Working Hours). Under Event Settings, you can also change the default duration of meetings.
Set your default view. I like to see the big picture–monthly–then toggle to other displays when needed. This and other options can be found in your settings menu. You can find the settings icon at the top-right corner.
It’d be great if your paper planner could be used as your calendar. This is the solution for those who want a digital hub that automatically syncs with reminders. Please note that I will continue to buy those beautiful planners for my desk because I love them so much. But this has proved to be the most efficient, and I’m beyond words thrilled to have taken the opportunity to see how Google Calendar could work for me.
