3 Ways to Boost Productivity with Outlook Calendar
Introduction
Outlook, part of the Microsoft 365 family, is a widely popular email provider platform used by professionals. While it is known for its email services, Outlook Calendar is also an integral part of the system, setting it apart from other providers like Google Calendar and Gmail. In this article, we will explore three ways to maximize productivity using Outlook Calendar.
1. Categorize Your Calendar
Meetings are a common part of professional life, but they can sometimes disrupt productivity. However, Outlook Calendar offers a feature called Categories that allows you to categorize events, meetings, emails, tasks, and to-do lists. By assigning different colors to each category, you can quickly identify your priorities for the day. It is essential to use categories carefully to avoid overwhelming your calendar. Outlook also allows you to remove categories once a project is complete, helping you focus on the most pressing tasks.
2. Make Use of To-Do Lists
To-do lists are a valuable tool for staying organized and on track. Outlook’s Tasks folder provides a way to create to-do lists directly within the calendar. You can name the task, assign a priority, and set a specific date for completion. The latest version of Outlook allows you to display your to-do list while viewing your calendar, giving you a comprehensive overview of your daily tasks. Additionally, you can convert important emails into tasks by flagging them and selecting the appropriate follow-up date. To take task management further, consider using the Microsoft Tasks app, which offers advanced capabilities and integration with your Outlook calendar.
3. Customize Your Meeting Settings
Lateness to meetings can hamper productivity and create unnecessary stress. Outlook Calendar provides options to adjust meeting settings, such as reminder timings. You can modify the default 15-minute reminder to a more suitable time frame that ensures you receive notifications promptly. Additionally, if you collaborate with individuals in different time zones, Outlook allows you to add multiple time zones to your calendar. This helpful feature eliminates the need to manually calculate time differences or search for time zone details online. If you frequently hold meetings online, you can automatically convert all your meeting invites to online meetings, streamlining the process and ensuring everyone has the necessary information.
Conclusion
Outlook Calendar offers numerous features and integrations that can enhance productivity and time management. By categorizing your calendar, creating to-do lists, and customizing meeting settings, you can optimize your workflow and stay focused on your priorities. Whether you work in an office or remotely, these tips and tricks will help you make the most of Outlook Calendar. Embrace these tools to boost your productivity and accomplish more each day.
Title: Supercharge Your Productivity with Outlook Calendar
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Outlook, part of the Microsoft 365 family, is a very popular email provider platform among professionals. But besides being an email provider, this system is well known for its Calendar. Unlike Google Calendar and Gmail, which are connected but located in separate applications, Outlook Calendar is integrated into Outlook.
When you open the Outlook app, you can switch to the Calendar button to see it in full. Outlook and therefore Outlook Calendar can be accessed on all devices and platforms, including iOS and Android.
Of course, like anything, it can take some time to configure outlook calendar for your personal use. If you’re an administrative or personal assistant, you’ll want to make sure you can view and edit your manager’s calendar. Therefore, sharing Outlook calendar will be of paramount importance. But if you’re an entrepreneur, a freelancer, or just a professional multitasker, notifications and to-do lists will be essential for you too. Someone working remotely with the rest of their team will want to adjust their Calendar settings to account for various time zones.
No matter how or where you access or use Outlook Calendar, there are ways to make the platform work better for you. After all, the purpose of a digital calendar is to make your life easier, not harder. Calendars should take some of the load off your shoulders so you can focus on your priorities. Fortunately, there are several features and integrations to do just that. With this in mind, here are three ways to be more productive with Outlook Calendar.
1. Categorize your calendar
Meetings are part of the norm in today’s professional world. With the average worker having 25.6 meetings per week, or just over five a day, can disrupt your productivity. While Outlook Calendar won’t decrease the time you spend in meetings per se, there are features to better address your calendar. One of which is using Outlook Categories. This is Outlook’s tagging system, which allows you to categorize items within your Calendar and make it easier to sort and filter them.
In addition to taking advantage of categories for events and meetings, it can also be used for emails, tasks, and your to-do list (more on this feature later). To create a new category, select from the Categorize dropdown menu on the Home tab.
Outlook has pre-identified categories based on a color system, such as the ‘blue category’ and the ‘green category’. You can edit these Categories and rename them however you like. There are 25 colors available, so you have a box of Crayola crayons at your disposal to select the best one for each Category.
Assigning different colors to each category allows you to quickly look at your calendar and see what your priorities are for that day.
Of course, to avoid making your calendar look like a whole rainbow, use categories carefully! Outlook will prioritize your top categories, but try removing them once a project is complete. Doing so is quite simple in the ‘Edit Categories’ dropdown menu. This will allow you to focus on your most pressing tasks and uncategorize the ones you no longer need.
2. Make to-do lists
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably a fan of to-do lists. While you may not be a fan of having to get so a lot on your list, these lists can help you stay on track. Outlook to-do list is a way to remind yourself of certain tasks at a specific time. This feature, located within the Outlook Tasks folder, allows you to name the task, add a priority, and set a date. So if you want to reserve a table at a coveted restaurant, you can remember a particular day to reserve it.
In the latest version of Outlook, you can display your list at all times while your Calendar is open. This gives you a better idea of everything you need to accomplish on a particular day. Tasks can be created manually, such as polling yourself to book dinner, or created directly from your inbox. If you receive an important email but don’t have time to read it right away, you can make it a task for later. To do so, click on the flag and select the appropriate dropdown menu, such as ‘Follow up today’.
If you’re really enjoying the to-do list functionality, you might want to consider taking advantage of Microsoft Tasks app also. This is a more advanced task management app with greater capabilities than standalone Outlook. It’s multifunctional, which means it will work with your current Outlook calendar and can be accessed on all your devices. ‘My Day’, an in-app feature, predicts and customizes your daily or weekly to-do list. So if you normally prepare for your weekly team meeting on Tuesday nights, the app will suggest adding it to your weekly list.
3. Adjust your meeting settings
This tip is for you if you are always a few minutes late for your meetings. Adjusting your meeting settings in Calendar Options can help make sure you arrive on time. The default reminder is 15 minutes before a meeting, but that may not be enough time for you. You may miss the notification if you are in the office and away from your desk. Or, you might find that 15 minutes is a bit too long and would like a little push five minutes before a meeting starts.
Adding different time zones to your calendar is another trick to save you time when setting up meetings. This is especially great for hybrid or remote teams with employees across the country or the world.
Finding out what time of day it is for them might make you go to Google to see the time difference. Instead, you can add multiple time zones to your calendar in the Calendar Time Zones section of Outlook. From there, you can appropriately name the new time zone, such as ‘Los Angeles’ or ‘Tokyo’, and schedule meetings without referencing Google.
Also, if you work remotely or work with remote employees, consider automatically converting all your meeting invites to online meetings. This functionality is built into your calendar invites if you use Microsoft Teams for video conferencing.
However, it also works with other platforms, such as Zoom, Cisco WebEx Scheduler, Google Meet, BlueJeans Meetings, JioMeet, and GoTo. Remember that you may need to download a different app, such as Zoom for Outlook, for full integration across all platforms. However, once you’re up and running, you’ll never have to frantically send out a Zoom link immediately before the meeting starts!
final thoughts
Scheduling your day for productivity Easier said than done. You may have a set of priorities at the start of the day, but a roadblock may cause you to switch gears at lunchtime. With the many features of Outlook calendars, you can stay on task and stay on top of your priority list.
Whether you’re sharing an office space with your teammate or working remotely, Outlook Calendar is there for your needs. Use the shared Outlook calendar tips and tricks to better manage your time and maximize your daily accomplishments.
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The charge 3 ways to be more productive with the Outlook calendar first appeared in Calendar.
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