Maximizing Your Productivity With Google Calendar

Use these instructions to set up your Google Calendar, a free online calendar service created by Google for computer and mobile devices. Create and organize events in Google Calendar to manage your academic schedule across devices.

What can students achieve with Google Calendar?

Students can use Google Calendar to keep track of their academic schedule, assignments, and meetings. This is accomplished by creating and organizing Google Calendar events that sync automatically across their computer and mobile devices. If used wisely, students can use Google Calendar events as a time management tool. 

Supplies

Required Materials

Connected Device-While these instructions can be followed using any device connected to the internet, they are written for use with a computer and the Google Chrome web browser. The overarching processes are always the same, but the user interface varies across devices and web browsers.

Google Account-In addition to at least one connected device, the user will need a Google Account. If you do not have a google account, you can create one for free using the instructions published by Google.

Other Device(s)- This document contains instructions for using Google Calendar across multiple devices. You may wish to have your other connected devices handy to follow along. For mobile devices, the Google Calendar app should be installed.  

Optional Materials

Schedules- Have your class schedule, university calendar, appointments, and list of assignments handy to enter into Google Calendar. If you do not have these handy, you can use pseudonyms for the required title, date, and time attributes.

Instructions Visible Off Screen- To follow along with these instructions, you will need to have Google Calendar open in your web browser. It will be easiest to follow along if your view of Google Calendar is not interrupted when referencing the instructions. Consider printing these instructions on one sided sheets or viewing the instructions on a separate device or monitor.

Step 1: Creating Events

1. There are two ways to create events in Google Calendar. One option is to select the ‘Create’ button, and then select the ‘event’ option. Alternatively, you may click anywhere on the calendar while it is in “Week View”, and it will create an event during the time you clicked on.
2. Upon choosing either of the above options, you will be met with a pop-up that looks like figure 1a.
3. Figure 1a shows your editing options for the event you are creating. The necessary information for creating an event would be a title and a time. Enter a title for the event where it says ‘Add title’. Below the title, you will see the date and time. You can set an exact start and end time for your event in fifteen minute increments.
4. You may choose to stop after step 3. With a title and time, you have successfully created an event! To add more detail, continue to step 5. 
5. Other options when creating an event include adding a location, color coding your events, and making them repeat. Upon selecting ‘add location’, Google Maps will pop up and you are able to enter an exact address.
6. To color code your events, select the color next to your Google username and a set of colors will pop up.
7. To make your event repeat, select ‘more options’ and then select the dropdown menu that says ‘does not repeat’. You will then be displayed with a menu of repeat options. To choose an option that’s not listed, select ‘custom repeat’ and you will see a ‘custom recurrence’ pop-up. From here, you can choose the days the event will recur, and exactly how many times you’d like it to recur.

Step 2: Using Notifications

1. You can modify basic notification settings by clicking on the event you wish to be modified. Here, as shown in figure 2A, you have the option to add multiple notifications leading up to the event, which can show up in your email, or as a push notification on your mobile phone.
2. You can modify more advanced settings by clicking the settings icon in the upper right corner of the main calendar, as shown in figure 2B.
3. From there, in the drop down menu on the right side of the screen, choose Notification Settings, as shown in figure 2C.
4. Here, you can modify things such as how you get notifications, as shown in figure 2D. You can opt for either alerts, which notify your mobile phone, or desktop notifications.

Step 3: Syncing Multiple Devices and Calendars

1. All you have to do to sync Google Calendar across devices, such as your phone and computer, is download the Google Calendar application and log in with the same email on both devices. Because it is just one account, all data within that account will show up and be editable on both or all devices.
2. To add additional calendars to Google Calendar, you must log in on the website, and cannot use the application - therefore this cannot be completed on a mobile device. Once the website is open, click the + by ‘Other Calendars’ in the lower left corner, as shown in figure 3A.
3. From there, it will ask you how you would like to add the calendar as shown in Figure 3B. Choose the one that corresponds to your needs .
4. Once you have created, chosen, or imported a calendar, all of your calendars will be displayed in the menu on the lower left side of the screen as shown in Figure 3C, for you to choose which calendars to display on your main calendar. The calendars you choose will show up on any Google Calendar application.

Step 4: Privacy Settings

By altering the sharing settings on a computer, you may quickly make your Google Calendar private.

1. On the left side of the screen, locate "My calendars." Then click the three dots in the upper-right corner after moving the cursor over the calendar whose sharing preferences you want to change.
2. Select "Settings and Sharing."
3. You can select to make your calendar publicly accessible or to receive a shareable link under "Access permissions."
4. Click the "+ Add people" button in the "Share with specific people" section to add people to your calendar. Enter the email address of the person or Google group and then choose your sharing preference.
5. Click “send”
6. Normally, your Google Calendar will be private by default if it's connected to your personal Gmail account, but you can change that setting or share it with individual people.
7. On the left side of the screen, locate the "My calendars" section. Click the three dots in the upper-right corner of the calendar that you wish to alter the sharing settings for. For settings and sharing, click.
8. Select "Public sharing" under "Access permissions." Simply click "Remove" next to a specific person to stop sharing your calendar with them.
9. To modify an event, click on the event you wish to change, and then click the pen icon.
10. Choose privacy settings after selecting "Default visibility" to reveal a dropdown menu with sharing choices.
11. Hit "Save." No matter which option you select, if your calendar isn't shared with anyone, this event will only be visible to you.