by far, one of my favorite organizational tools to plan my whole life is Google Calendar. It’s one of the millions of useful google apps that’s built straight into google accounts, so it’s totally free, functional, & versatile. below I’m going to share my organizational system via Google Calendar!
1. Use multiple calendars
In google calendar (GC), there is a function to create multiple calendars. all of mine are color coded.
I have separate calendars for classes, work, fun stuff, residence life, “extra school” (important but not class-related), and things like my gym’s hours/classes, my professors’ office hours, and the schedule for each campus library - like so:
however, it would be a lot going on to have each of those calendars up all the time, so usually I just have my class schedule, work hours, residence life, & birthdays showing, like so (this is from a past week so that’s why the colors are faded):
2. it’s very easy to schedule recurring events with GC. under the create event tab, all you need to do is hit repeat, and then input the days, times, and frequency you want the event to repeat at. This is crazy useful for things like class, office hours, or anything else that happens on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
3. In addition to the GC desktop version, there is also a mobile phone app, where you can create events, view your schedule, and make plans on the go. I usually add events right as I hear about them, and then go adjust them later. The only downside to the mobile app is that you can’t swap calendars, so if you use multiple (like I do), you have to correct them from your computer once you have the chance. But (imo) that’s way more preferable than thinking your brain will retain the meeting time on its own, only to be disappointed by your lack of memory a few hours later.
4. it is so so so easy to plan things with GC! Invites can be sent directly to emails, and your friends can RSVP. This is an excellent tool for planning study sessions, coffee dates, or errand runs with your squad!
5. With that, it’s also ridiculously easy to share entire calendars with your pals. My roommates & boyfriend all use GC too, so we can all view one another’s schedules. It’s like Find My Friends, only instead of locating them on a physical map you can just view their calendar, know they’re in class, and find another friend to make breakfast plans with tomorrow.
6. Something else that GC offers is Tasks. These can show up on the sidebar of GC in addition to gmail, and you can add due dates (or not, your choice). If you do add a due date, it will show up on the designated day up above your daily schedule with a checkbox, so you can keep track of whether you’ve finished it or not, as well as view upcoming deadlines. I LOVE to use this feature for projects. The only problem is that tasks will not show up on the mobile app, but that is what my hard copy planner is for. :)
basically, I use GC for all of my scheduling, day-to-day activities, classes, and work schedules. My planner is more for assignments & to-do lists, and for keeping note of things when I can’t immediately input them into my phone/calendar. However, when I sit down on Sunday morning to plan my week, I typically make sure everything that I see on my GC (tasks, birthdays, assignments, meetings) is exactly what’s written in my planner, and vice versa. That way, I’m double-checking myself, have info in 2 places, and am reminding myself what exactly is on my plate for the week.
I hope this was helpful! let me know if y’all have any questions at all!!
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