How I use Google Calendar

How I Use Google Calendar To Stay Organized

Google calendar is a free tool available through your Google account. Maybe your Apple calendaring system can do the same things, but we’re a heavily Google-integrated family (our budget is on Google drive) and here’s how we use Google calendar to stay organized.

Keeping Two Adults in Sync

Mr. T and I have totally different things going on. He goes to work, I juggle all sorts of things during the daytime and we each have different responsibilities with work, etc. We keep it all in line by having synced Google calendars. I keep mine updated and so does Mr. T. As soon as I make an appointment, it’s in the calendar. This means that we both know what the other is doing. When Mr. T sees that I’ll be at a Church youth activity, he knows he has to be home during that time. When I see Mr. T is helping someone move on Saturday, I know that I’m home. It’s implied with 3 kids that we’re going to work together on taking care of them. If there’s a scheduling conflict, that’s when we have an actual face-to-face conversation about the calendar. “I just found out I have a work meeting the morning you scheduled to ride your bike to work. Is it possible to switch bike-commuting to the next day to help get the kids to school during my meeting?” Because we’re both awesome, these conversations are quick and solutions reached easily.

Keeping the Kids Organized

Our kids don’t have their own Google calendars (yet!), but we keep all of their stuff on the calendars too: “Florin Field Trip: Bring Booster Seat.” All extra-curriculars and classes go on the calendar so we know where people should be when. All those paper reminders that come home from school get added right to the calendar: “Penny Field Day: Wear Muddy Clothes.” Google Calendar also has places for additional information like address of doctors offices, themes for the upcoming birthday party, how much money it costs to get into the concert, etc.

Reminders

I use Google Calendar for reminders extensively. With our conservative travel hacking, as soon as I apply for a new credit card, I add to my Google calendar when I want to cancel the card. Also in my Google calendar, you will find things like yearly reminders to check my credit reports and semi-annual reminders to get my wedding rings checked (to keep the insurance up). All relatives’ birthdays I need to remember are in Google calendar and every Wednesday night is a reminder to take out the trash/recycling. In the phone app, you can set reminders on any event you want, so Mr. T gets an audible reminder for the trash (yeah, that’s his responsibility).

Searchability

Did you know that you can SEARCH your CALENDAR? That’s right. It’s amazing. When did Florin last have an eye exam? Oh look! It was last November. When did I schedule to be a chaperone at Florin’s field trip? When did I need to close that one credit card? What year did my roommate come visit? What day last year were we seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?

A Historical Snippet and Planning Tool

Google Calendar exists into the future as well as into the past. Want to know what we were doing in March 2013 (I do because I have no idea!). Oh look! I was babysitting my little cousin that used to live up in Alaska near us. Mr. T and I were going to salsa classes. Penny had preschool. Florin had playdates. We were cooking a pig for a church party. Mr. T’s mom was in town for a week to see the Iditarod. I had book club and Zumba class. And all of that will be forever remembered in my Google calendar!

As for the future, I have our hopeful mortgage payoff date (January 1, 2019), possible future vacations, and ongoing birthdays and reminders on my future calendar.

Conclusion:

I’ve been assessing the tools I use on a daily basis more lately and have realized the ones I take for granted and among the most useful of the tools I use! Maybe Google calendars is already a staple in your house. Maybe you use it, but I gave you a few new ideas. Or maybe you have your own system. Either way, I always think it’s helpful to hear what helps other people and Google Calendar certainly keeps our household organized!

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12 Comments

  1. Google Calendar is the lifeblood of our household as well. We each have our own calendar that we both can view as well as a calendar that we share for our daughter’s activities… love it!

    If it’s not in the calendar, it’s not happening! 🙂

    — Jim

  2. It’s our lifeblood too and it has definitely helped us remind each other about appointments! It is easy to use – and it pops up on my phone without any extra work. It took a little work getting Mr. MSD to use it, but it has been well worth the effort!

    • MaggieBanks

      I’m ALWAYS trying to convert people to Google Calendar. I actually attended a “how to organize your life” seminar thing at Church and the lady was actually teaching Google calendar, but she only just said it was as good as a regular calendar, but on your phone! I basically took over the class showing everyone (including her) how cool it REALLY was! 🙂

  3. ChooseBetterLife

    Google calendar has helped us avoid countless awkward situations and arguments. We each link to the other’s calendar, and we can import our work schedules too. The only thing I wish Google would do is improve the search function. As it is now, you have to search for the exact word and sometimes we phrase things differently. For example, if I search for “hair” it will pull up “hair appointment” but not “haircut”.
    Sometimes I’ll also write my niece’s school performances on the calendar and use either Madison or Maddie, but searching for “Mad” gets me neither. I have to search for both spellings individually to find all the dates.
    This seems so simple! And Google search can figure out what I’m looking for, so why can’t Google calendar?

    • MaggieBanks

      Oooooh! I totally agree. Why can’t they allow the asterisk search function? That would be immensely helpful!

  4. Thanks Maggie. I was totally unaware of Google Calendar. It should prove quite helpful to me and Mrs Groovy.

    P.S. Hope you aren’t too close to that angry volcano. Mother Nature isn’t always fun to be around.

    • MaggieBanks

      I’m so glad I could try to convert you! Google calendars are the best! (and we’re not anywhere close to the volcano, but it’s always exciting when Alaska’s in the news!)

  5. Jacq

    I use it all the time. 🙂 I have it send me reminders about friends birthdays so I can get the card in the mail. I open the app when at the doctors / dentist and put my next appointment right in. I color code different types of events too. I have friends with periodic weekend obligations and the list is online. I added that to keep track of their availability, but those get the mustard yellow. 🙂
    Thanks for the great review!

    • MaggieBanks

      I love chatting with a fellow Google calendars geek! Your system sounds amazing and I love it! The reminders I really need to use more for birthdays… I get reminded the day of which isn’t working out! 🙂

  6. RootofGood

    I use it all the time. Helps keep the two adults and three kids on schedule, and a lifesaver for planning events in our busy schedule (still busy in spite of neither adult working 🙂 ). And I love that it’s on our phones too. Love the search feature too. Incredibly easy to see when the last doctor/dentist/whatever appointment was. I use it for travel hacking too so that I know when to keep my Southwest points from expiring and when to make the $5,000 min. spending within 90 days (for example). I even use it to remind me to change the furnace filter every 2 months (3 months in the spring/fall when we don’t use it much).

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