It's easy to throw events and due dates onto a calendar, but making them all fit is another matter. Calendars too often turn into minefields rather than useful organizational tools. Between work meetings, family visits, friend catch-ups, bridesmaid appointments...you're lucky if you even have breathing room for any of your personal stuff, let alone downtime for binge-watching Netflix.
But there are plenty of tricks on Google Calendar that can help. Some of these are brand-new, some you can try before anyone else, and some are tried-and-true features. Click through to get a better handle on your schedule — and, more importantly, some sanity.
Meetings can drag on and waste time, but there's a way to keep them short and sweet. Go to your calendar's Settings on your browser and click the "General" tab. Scroll down to "Event default duration" and check the box next to "Speedy meetings." This will make 30 minute meetings end five minutes early and hour-long (or longer) meetings wrap up 10 minutes early. Now you'll actually have a reason to duck out and get back to work.
If you're making a conference call in your meeting, try dialing in from the Google Calendar app in your phone. Thanks to a new update, Google Calendar will automatically add that annoyingly long passcode for you so you can get right into the call.
Design: Paola Delucca.
Whether you want to catch up on some reading or spend more time outside, the latest Google Calendar feature lets you set and stay on top of your goals. Log in to the Google Calendar app and press the plus sign in the bottom right-hand corner. When you select "Goal," you'll be asked to choose a goal, how often and for how long each week you'd like to practice, and what time of day is best. Your calendar will automatically find a recurring time to schedule it.
Our favorite part about it: If you schedule something else that overlaps, your calendar will reschedule your goal, so you're encouraged to stay on track.
Design: Paola Delucca.
You can follow your favorite sports team, see international holidays, find out when sunrise and sunset will occur in your city, and more by subscribing to preset calendars. Go to Google Calendar on your desktop and, along the left-hand toolbar, click the small arrow to the right of "Other calendars." Select "Browse interesting calendars" from the drop-down menu and pick whichever ones you want to see on your own.
Design: Paola Delucca.
Help yourself get tasks done in time by setting reminders. Click the plus sign in your Google Calendar app and select "Reminder." You're automatically presented with some preset options such as call, email, and text, but you can also enter your own. If procrastination is getting the best of you, Google Calendar will keep you from forgetting your to-dos: Until you complete the task, your calendar will remind you at the start of each day.
Design: Paola Delucca.
Sure, you can create a messy Google Doc, but a shared calendar is an easier way to manage your group's travel plans. Go to your calendar online and select the arrow to the right of "My calendars" (found along the left-hand toolbar). Select "Create new calendar" and after filling in the details, enter the emails for all the people you want to share your calendar with (just like you would for a Google Doc).
This is also super convenient if you work with a small team at your job and want to keep track of which of your colleagues are in what meeting when.
Design: Paola Delucca.
Want access to the latest calendar tools that Google is testing? All you have to do is go to your calendar on your desktop, click the settings gear button, and select "Labs." Pick the ones you want to try, and save them. You can see all current experiments here. Some are customization-focused, like adding a background image to your calendar, while others are useful for schedule management if you get invites nonstop.
Design: Paola Delucca.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
This Humans Of New York News Is Your #FeelGoodFriday