5 tools and tricks for Google Calendar

TipsMake.com - Many of us can get in trouble if we don't have a calendar. This is where we schedule appointments, remember a meeting and set a time for a project. Lacking the right tools, managing a calendar will give you a headache.

While the Google Calendar app has a lot of popular features to 'reduce the load' for planning - integrating with other calendars, mobile access and calendar sharing - there's still a lot of work. Other utility tools as well as tips you may not know about. Stay tuned to know how these features can help you reduce scheduling time and increase productivity.

1. Learn keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts can be a time saver if you use them correctly. Just like Gmail's shortcut, Google Calendar also has its own shortcut designed to help you quickly switch through meeting schedules, show appointments and manage events.

To view the entire list of shortcuts, open Google Calendar and press Command- / or check on Google website. Here are the 6 most commonly used shortcuts:

Create an event: Press C

Switch to display today's calendar: Press T

Day view display (Day View): Press 1 or D

Week View (Week View): Press 2 or W

Display Month View: Press 3 or M

Open calendar settings: Press

Press Command- / to see a list of available shortcuts in Google Calendar.

2. Automatically refuse to meet

If you are going on a trip or are sure that you have a top priority appointment, you will definitely enjoy Automatically Declining Events in Google Calendar Labs. To enable this feature, click on the gear icon on the top right of the screen and choose Labs. Find Automatically Declining Events in the list and click the Enable button right next to it. Then, click Save at the bottom of the page.

This feature allows you to block time in the calendar when you know for sure you will be busy. When someone sends an invitation to the event during this time, Google Calendar will automatically reject it.

3. Easily re-schedule events

Scheduling an appointment or an event at the same time can make people uncomfortable. A handy feature in Google Calendar makes this process easier than Smart Rescheduler. This is a tool that can help you reschedule an event by analyzing everyone's calendar, evaluating conflicts, winning meeting rooms and providing the best appointment time.

To use this feature, click on the gear icon on the top right of the screen and choose Labs. Click on Enable next to Smart Recheduler , then click Save at the bottom of the page. Once you have Smart Rescheduler enabled, select an event you want to reschedule and click Find a new time . After that, you will see a list of possible times for appointments and meeting rooms nearby.

Users can filter results by marking attendees, changing meeting times, removing some conflicts or identifying the earliest and latest time. The results will update and show your new requirements.

4. Add attachments to the event

Need to share a document with meeting attendees? Access the Labs section of your Google calendar account by selecting Labs from the gear icon on the top right of the page. Scroll down to Event Attachments and click Enable to activate it. Then, click Save to save.

Event attachments tag is an experimental feature that allows you to attach a Google data, Excel spreadsheet or presentation to the event. Or, you can also upload a file from your computer. Remember that if you are sharing a Google data, you need to assign access to open it before sharing.

Once you activate the Event Attachments tag, an Add Attachment link will appear under the event description. Click on it to browse to Google Docs or upload a file from your computer.

5. Add events to Google Calendar via SMS

Add an event to your Google Calendar account by sending an SMS with a mobile phone.

If you're at the airport and forget to schedule an appointment to your Google Calendar account or don't have a good Internet service, don't worry too much: You can still add events via your mobile phone with just one few simple steps.

First, from your computer, sign up for a Google Calendar account, click on the gear icon on the top right of the screen and select Calendar Settings . After that, click on the Mobile Setup tab and then select the country, phone number and operator. Google will send a confirmation code to your phone; Enter this code and click Finish Setup .

Once this installation is completed, you can send events to your mobile phone calendar by sending a message about the event's details (eg, seeing a dentist. at 1pm on April 22). Soon you will receive a confirmation message, and this event will appear in your calendar.