People are finally back to work after over a year of COVID-19 related shutdown which means you need good, solid calendar management to deal with the influx of new opportunities, meetings and to-do lists.
This can create a lot of stress as you think of all the things you need to get done in such a short amount of time each day.
Fortunately, with the help of technology and sound management strategies, you can get a better handle on all your online calendars and reduce some of the work stressors.
How Technology Improves Calendar Management
Want to alleviate the work scheduling madness? It’s always a smart move to use technology whenever possible to complete your tasks, and ultimately save time.
Just like anything else, effective calendar management becomes so much easier when you have the right tools.
Electronic, online calendars have already revolutionized how people manage their time and appointments. In many ways, it is much easier now to keep an updated calendar. Technology enables the user to easily schedule recurring events with just a few clicks of the mouse, instead of having to enter them in all manually.
And, online calendars can be synced with various devices, so when you enter in an appointment on your desktop calendar, it will be synced with your smart phone, portable tablet, and all other devices.
However, this is just the beginning. You can do a lot more with your online calendar – with the right technology.
So, if you are a holdout for old school paper calendars, it might be time to upgrade to an online calendar. If you are already using an electronic calendar, then you can also benefit from the following tips on improving your calendar management with technology.
5 Tips for Better Calendar Management Through Technology
Your online calendar software can do even more than you might have imagined – with the right technology “power-up.” For example, there are a number of Chrome Extension that supercharge your Google calendar to make it work harder for you, while saving you time.
Here are just some of the things you can do with a boosted online calendar:
1. Instant Scheduling / One-Click Meetings
As you know, the biggest challenge of scheduling a meeting with someone these days is finding a good time for both parties.
The instant scheduling feature from MixMax enables you to create meetings in one click, by first setting up a few available times, and then sending an email to the person you want to meet with. The recipient can easily select which available time works for them, with the click of a button, to instantly schedule a meeting with you.
2. Scheduling on Shared Calendars
Let’s say you have an administrative assistant, and you want them to help schedule your meetings for you. Using the shared calendars feature, you can give them access to your calendar just by sharing it with them.
By doing this, they will be able to schedule meetings on your calendar for you. And, you will be able to instantly see this new meeting once it is added.
You can add as many people as you need to your shared calendar access, such as co-workers, family members, and more – depending on the type of calendar you’re using.
Additionally, meeting templates can be used to easily schedule a certain type of event on any shared calendar that you (or your administrative assistant) has access to.
3. Meeting Templates
To reduce the amount of time you spend doing repetitive calendar tasks, you can create custom meeting templates for typical meetings and events you might schedule.
Each template is identified by a unique name, and has default details enabled, including a meeting location, which calendar to schedule it on, and a description of the meeting.
The most powerful aspect of custom meeting templates is the option to add your own custom fields for your meeting guests. For example, you might ask your guests to include a name, telephone number, and an email address. Perhaps you might also want them to include a note about what they want to use their meeting time for.
Another option for custom templates is to create options for different potential meeting times with ranges for days as well as times.
The beauty of this feature is that you can utilize these powerful features in whatever way fits you, and your company, best.
4. Using a Public Calendar
A public calendar is a calendar where anyone with a link can see the calendar, but not necessarily edit it or add new events.
This can be a great tool for many businesses or organizations. For example, if you have an online school and host many webinars, you can put these in your online calendar and then make it public to let people know what the upcoming schedule is.
Additionally, people who view your calendar can be given the option to schedule a meeting with you, based on your public availability. Here’s one of the neater features for scheduling meetings: If you send someone an email with a link to schedule an appointment on your calendar, and they click on that link, their name and email address will be pre-filled on the calendar.
Custom meeting templates also work great with public calendar appointments and sharing.
5. Preventing Double-Booking
Have you ever double-booked something in your online calendar? That can be both awkward and costly to your business.
And then, time is wasted as you have to contact people to apologize and reschedule. Fortunately, this can be easily prevented.
When using the Share Availability enhancement from Mixmax, you can simply click on the option “prevent double bookings on this calendar” – Just make sure you check this option on each calendar if you are using multiple calendars.
Making the Most of Your Online Calendar
Once you have your calendar technology enabled, consider some good habits and practices to help better utilize these fantastic tools. First, you need to organize your overall goals across different business segments through integrated business planning. This gives you a clear picture of business priorities which helps you schedule your calendar tasks and meeting accordingly.
Another strategy is to create blank spaces in your calendar for creative thinking. This can be time you set aside to think about new product features or service offerings. It can also be time you create for thinking prior to a big upcoming meeting or pitch. For example, prior to having a meeting with an important client or prospect, you should schedule in some “white space” time – which is time that is “blank” for you to process your previous work and then prepare for your upcoming meeting.
By implementing these fantastic tools, and being smart about your scheduling, you can stay sane and on top of everything during the busy workday.