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ZDNET's key takeaways
- Google Calendar has functionality beyond adding events.
- Adding attachments to events saves time.
- Appointment scheduling manages multiple meeting times.
As the default calendar app for a lot of Android phones, Google Calendar is the easiest way to keep track of your schedule. But if all you're doing is adding events, getting reminders about those events, and making sure you don't forget about important birthdays, you're missing out on some huge productivity and time-saving tweaks.
You probably know about Calendar's ability to automatically add Gmail events (that feature is on by default). When you get an email about an event, that event will pop up on your calendar on its own. But the calendar tool actually has several time-saving features that a lot of people miss. Here's a look at how to get more out of Google Calendar.
1. Add attachments to an event
If you've ever struggled to find a boarding pass while standing in line for a flight or a hotel confirmation number at the front desk, this one is for you. Calendar lets you attach files to any event, so you have your important information ready when you need it.
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If you're planning a trip, you can add hotel reservations, itineraries, and tickets right to your calendar. If you have a sporting event, museum, concert, or attraction reservation on your calendar, you can have your attachments ready to go so you don't have to dig through your email when you're in line. For work purposes, you can easily access reports attached to your next scheduled meeting.
I used this during a trip to New York City, where my wife and I kept tickets for museums and attractions attached to the overall event entry. It meant no searching through Gmail while standing in line.
To add an attachment to a calendar event, first upload that attachment to Google Drive. Once it's there, go to the event on your calendar, tap the edit button on the top right corner, and look for "Add Google Drive attachment."
2. Let appointment schedules find meeting times
Are you over trying to coordinate schedules for an appointment or meeting? Instead of a series of back-and-forth emails, use Calendar's appointment schedule feature.
This feature lets you create a booking page of available times, and people can select the spot that works best for them. When someone reserves a spot, it's removed from the availability list and added to the calendars of both parties.
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This is immensely useful for times when you're trying to coordinate meetings with a lot of people in succession -- like a teacher scheduling conferences with parents or a recruiter meeting with multiple candidates.
You can achieve a similar result by clicking the "Find a time" tab next to event details once all participants have accepted. Calendar overlays everyone's schedule side-by-side so you can instantly see an open slot.
3. Take advantage of keyboard shortcuts
If you use Google Calendar on a desktop, you could be saving a lot of time with keyboard shortcuts. You'll need to turn on this feature (you'll find it under settings), but when you do, you'll be able to change between days, create events, and search your calendar without constantly reaching for the mouse.
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For example, Ctrl+C lets you create a new event, Ctrl-T jumps to today on the calendar, Ctrl-W switches to a week view, and more. This isn't something everyone would use, but if you're constantly scheduling meetings, you're managing multiple calendars, or you spend a lot of time in Google Calendar, it's a big time-saver once you get your muscle memory down.
And it's not a keyboard shortcut, but in the same area, you can type cal.new directly in your browser address bar, and it'll take you to a new event page.
4. Set up daily reminder emails
I'm the type of person who sets constant reminders, and I'll usually have calendar alerts, Alexa notifications, and more for critical tasks. But Google Calendar offers an option to send you a daily wrap-up email each morning.
Go to your settings, choose your main calendar, and then choose "Other notifications." Change "Daily agenda" to "Email," and you'll set up a message each morning with a summary of your day's schedule. Instead of glancing at your calendar each morning and then getting distracted with something else, you can see a quick rundown of all your day's events before you even get out of bed.
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