Google Calendar

Although I consider myself to be very responsible, I am always looking for ways to be better organized.  While the thought of a planner excites me, I buy one every year and then I am not that great about using it.  At one point, my husband suggested I try Google Calendar and that we create a shared calendar.  This has been hands down AWESOME.

So here are the ways I use and love my Google calendar!

I can share things on the family calendar, or put on my own personal calendar.

For one, I put EVERYTHING on the calendar.  99% of these things are put on our shared calendar, and that way we can always see what is going on.

There are two options for stuff you don’t want or need to put on a shared calendar.  One is to put the event under your name, and the other is to have a separate calendar (or calendars).  Maybe you are planning a surprise birthday party for your husband?  That goes on your own calendar.  Or if I have blog or personal deadlines, I can keep those on my own calendar and not clutter up my husband’s calendar with that.

The shared calendar is so great – we can easily see what is going on for both of us.  The kids always have something going on, so it is great to be able to check the calendar and know where everyone is.  If we need to check our availability on a certain date or time, it is nice to be able to glance at the calendar and know right away if we are busy or not.  My tip: put things on the calendar as soon as you know about them!

Google Calendar

There are so many options for each entry.

The calendar entries really take any info you need to put.  Obviously, date and time.  You can also do blocks of time (for example, spring break).  Then you can put in a location, which syncs with Google Maps if needed.  You can personalize colors, notifications, etc.  There is also a field for any other info, which is great.  There are times the kids have events and I copy in all the info so that it is there when I need – or if my husband ends up taking the kids to that event, he has the info.

Google CalendarSet alerts so you don’t miss things.

You can set different alerts for each entry.  Sometimes I want a notification to pop up that morning, or 10 minutes before the event.  This way, you don’t have to worry about forgetting things.  This goes for everything from a dentist appointment to birthdays.

Synchs with iPhone.

The Google calendar syncs with my iPhone, so I can check my phone any time to see what I have scheduled.  So in lieu of a paper planner, I always have my iPhone on me, and therefor always have access to my calendar.  This is great for when I am at work coming up with my work schedule, or when I’m trying to schedule something on the fly – countless times!

 

Google Calendar has helped me get more organized and also for us to be more organized as a family.  I use numerous features and it makes my life a lot easier!