10 Effective Google Calendar Tips and Tricks

Are you looking for ways to make the most out of Google Calendar? This app has been on the market since 2006, yet it remains one of the top-rated productivity tools. It holds an impressive rating of 4.6 out of 5 in both the App Store and Google Play Store. From smart scheduling events to daily agenda emails, below are ten effective Google Calendar tips and tricks to stay organized, manage your time, and enhance your experience with scheduling.

1. Drag and drop events.

Google Calendar makes it easy to manage your schedule by allowing you to drag and drop events, tasks, and reminders. This feature is beneficial if you have to reschedule or adjust your plans or deadlines quickly and efficiently. You can also make a particular event longer or shorter. With just a few clicks, you can rearrange your entire schedule as needed.

To change the schedule of an event:

1. Click on the event or reminder you want to move.
2. Drag it to a new date or time slot.

To make an event longer or shorter:

1. Click on the bottom of the event you wish to adjust.
2. Hold and drag down (to make it longer) or drag up (to shorten) to the desired time.

2. Schedule group meetings with “Find a time” or “Suggested times.”

An Owl Labs 2023 report reveals that 33% of employees have more than five meetings in a week, and 10% have more than 11 meetings in a week. Finding a time that works for everyone can get quite complicated. However, Google Calendar offers a solution by providing suggested times or finding a suitable time when everyone is free, taking the load off your shoulders.

To see suggested times:

1. Add the people involved in the event.
2. Select the Suggested times link below the guests’ names.
3. A dropdown window will appear with a list of times when every meeting guest, including you, is available with no conflicts.

To find a time:

1. Choose the tab next to Event details called Find a time.
2. You will see everyone’s schedules side-by-side for the day of your intended meeting.
3. When you see a time when none of your guests have conflicts, click this line of the calendar to highlight the time.
4. Press Save at the top of your calendar.

3. Add a Google Meet to your event.

Dialpad’s report on The State of the Hybrid Workplace reveals that 59% of respondents consider video conferencing an essential collaboration tool. Another research shows that video conferences have increased productivity by 89%. To use Google Calendar effectively, consider adding a Google Meet link when scheduling virtual meeting events. This enables attendees to join the meeting directly from the event page.

To add a Google Meet to your event:

1. Create a new event on Google Calendar.
2. Click on Add Google Meet video conferencing. This will generate a unique link for your meeting, which can be shared with others.

4. Insert attachments to your Google Calendar event.

Enhance your Google Calendar events by inserting attachments, a savvy move for meetings. This Google Calendar tip ensures attendees have easy access to necessary materials pre-meeting. You can use this feature to attach meeting agendas, which is a good practice as research shows that it can lead to a 95% improvement in overall meeting success.

To add attachments to your event:

1. Create a new event or open an existing event.
2. Scroll down to the description box at the bottom of the event details.
3. Click Add attachment.
4. Choose a file from your Google Drive. If you want to add a file from your computer, click Upload.
5. Once you’ve selected or uploaded the file, press Select or Upload to add the attachment to the event.

Pro Tip: If you use Google Calendar to keep track of your bills, you can attach relevant bill documents to the event deadlines you’ve set up. This way, you can quickly access them as needed.

Related guide: How to Cancel a Google Calendar Event

5. Create new calendars for different areas of your life.

Creating new calendars for different parts of your life can be incredibly helpful in organizing your schedule and staying on top of your commitments. By separating your personal, work, and social calendars, for instance, you can see at a glance what you have scheduled for each area of your life. This can help you avoid scheduling conflicts and ensure you have enough time and energy for everything.

To create a new calendar, follow these steps:

1. From your Google Calendar Homepage, go to the gear icon in the top right-hand corner.
2. Click on
3. Select Add Calendar.
4. Choose Create new calendar from the dropdown navigation.
5. Assign a name to the calendar to mark whether it’s for personal, work, or for other areas.
6. Click on the Create calendar

Pro Tip: You can go as specific as having a separate calendar for your bills, offering a clutter-free view of your bill payments and due dates. Cushion can sync bills into your Google Calendar and send real-time updates, ensuring you never miss bill payment deadlines again.

6. Color-code your calendars.

One useful Google calendar tip to manage your schedule efficiently is assigning different colors to each calendar. Doing this makes it easier to identify which event belongs to which calendar at a glance. For example, you could assign green to all work-related events, blue to personal events, and red to important deadlines. This way, you can better prioritize your time and stay organized without having to sift through a cluttered calendar.

To change the color of a calendar on Google Calendar:

1. Go to the left side of the Google Calendar homepage and click on My calendars.
2. Select the calendar you want to change the color of and click on the three dots on its right.
3. You will see a range of preset colors. Click on the color you want to assign to the calendar.

Pro Tip: To use your own color instead of the preset ones, click on the “+” button and use the color dropper to select your desired color. Additionally, you can input the hex code of your preferred color. This is useful if you want to use your brand color or if you want to make your calendar more visually appealing.

7. Share your calendars.

If you have important dates, events, or reminders you want to share with someone, it’s easy to do so using Google Calendar. By sharing your calendar with your spouse, family member, or co-worker, you can confirm that everyone is on the same page.

To start sharing your calendar, follow these steps:

1. Choose the calendar you wish to share, and click on the three dots on its right.
2. Select Settings and sharing.
3. Click on Add people and groups.
4. Add the email of the person you want to invite to your Google Calendar.
5. You can choose how to customize the permissions as you see fit.
6. Next, click Send.

Pro Tip: Sharing your bill deadlines calendar with someone can be a helpful way to stay organized and informed, especially if you have shared responsibility for bills. This method ensures that everyone is reminded of the due dates so that you can all stay on top of the payments.

8. Receive a daily agenda email.

Receiving a daily agenda email from Google Calendar every morning can be a great way to start your day. This email provides a quick snapshot of your schedule for the day ahead, including any events or meetings you have scheduled, as well as any upcoming deadlines or reminders. Additionally, the email can be a helpful reminder for any important tasks or events you may have forgotten about.

To enable the daily agenda email feature:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Settings For My Calendars.
3. Choose the calendar from which you wish to receive notifications.
4. Under Other Notifications, find Daily Agenda and select Email.

9. Learn keyboard shortcuts.

Google Calendar has some amazing keyboard shortcuts that can make your schedule planning experience smoother and more efficient. Whether you’re browsing through your calendar or organizing your events, the following shortcuts can come in handy to effectively use your Google Calendar:

10. Set up recurring events.

If you have a lot of recurring events that you need to keep track of, setting them up in advance can save you a lot of time and effort in the long run. Google Calendar offers the ability to set up recurring events, whether they occur daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. With this, you can guarantee they are always on your calendar without manually adding them each time. You can also avoid accidentally double-booking yourself or forgetting about an important event.

To set up recurring events:

1. When creating the event for the first time, select the Doesn’t Repeat dropdown menu. This will show you a list of different options.
2. If you can’t find the option you need on the list, you can select Custom and create your own custom schedule.
3. Adjust how often the event gets repeated, on which days, and when it will end.
4. Once you’re done, click Done and select Save to save the event.

Pro Tip: This Google calendar tip is handy for those bill deadlines that come around monthly. Setting up recurring events for them can save you time and ensure you never miss a payment. Simply create a new event and set it to repeat monthly on the due date. You can also add a bill reminder notification to give you enough time to pay. This way, you can stay on top of your finances and avoid late fees or penalties.

Summary

Using Google Calendar can be a game-changer for your productivity and organization. By implementing these tips and tricks on your Google calendar, such as drag and drop events, scheduling meetings, creating new calendars, and color-coding, you can make the most out of this powerful tool and enhance your scheduling experience.