Calendar Tips and Tricks

Your calendar is a critical tool to stay on top of events, activities, class, and other important dates. How you manage your calendar will help improve its usefulness to you. This Tool is written with Microsoft Outlook in mind; however, they can apply to other calendar services too.

Multi-Calendar Approach

Having a different calendar for academic, work, social, family, etc. can be helpful so that you are separate them and see certain things at different times or all of it together. This can also be achieved with color-coding events for specific purposes.

Import Your Canvas Calendar

Canvas allows for exporting of their calendar with all your class times, assignments, tests, etc. directly to any calendar service you use.

Go to Canvas > click on the Calendar icon > Click on “Calendar Feed” in the bottom right
Copy the link > Go to calendar site and find the “add calendar” button > Paste link

Reminder Setting

You are able to set up reminders to events so that you receive a push notification alerting you of upcoming events. Change the settings to work best for you for the method of push, the time in advance, etc.

Don’t Forget Travel Time

As you’re scheduling events, make sure you incorporate how long it can take you to go from one place to another.

Free vs Busy

You can create events that show as “Free” instead of busy. Consider using “free” events to block off time to study then using a “Busy” (or normal) event to schedule what you will actually be studying.

Use the Description Section

Put in useful information in the description section so you have easy access to information about the events on your calendar. Consider including the location, who it’s with, etc.. If the event is studying, include what you should be studying during that time.

To Do Events

Schedule even simple tasks to help you remember to do them – take out trash, flip laundry, text mom back, etc.

All-Day Events

Utilize all-day events to note important days or along with the description section, use it as a daily to-do list. Note: All-day events are shown as “free” by default.

Now that your calendar is organized, get your email inbox organized too with our Inbox Management Success Tool.