The Magic of Using a Cloud-Based Calendar

BY Hector Cisneros

If you could find a tool that would increase your efficiency for work, add more to your play time and just make your life better.  No, it’s not your smartphone, (although you have an app for one), it's a calendar. The magic of the calendar has transformed human civilization from unorganized tribes to a civilization that builds city and nations. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore how calendars have allowed humankind to organize itself into a civilization of 8 billion souls. We will explore how a calendar can help you organize and communicate better in business and your personal life. We will look at some of the best cloud-based products and provide tips on how to make the most your calendar.  So, let’s get started.

Short History of Calendars

For the most part, calendars evolved because people began recording the lunar and solar 

Courtesy of  Wikipedia

cycles to track and understand when the seasons would change. The first recorded calendar goes back to the bronze age when writing and metallurgy were first developed. Over the years there have been many types of calendars including the mostly lunisolar of the Babylonian, Zoroastrian, Hebrew, Hellenic, Hindu, and Roman. Julius Caesar was first to set a calendar based on an algorithm that added a leap day every four years. Today’s calendar is based on the Gregorian calendarintroduced in 1582.

So why is a calendar so important.

Without the invention of the calendar, we would not have developed many of the things we identify with modern human existence. Agriculture, commerce, seasonal celebrations. Calendars have been an important tool of humankind for thousands. It allows us to plan our time, task, events and much more.

Today using a cloud-based calendar makes it much easier to organize, share and communicate your schedule than ever before. Let’s look at some of the top players in the marketplace today.

Top Group Calendars you can use.

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Google Calendar - Google ‘s Calendar is part of Google’s G suite of Googles Cloud products. It is highly integrated with Google Drive, is feature rich and a mature product as far as cloud products can be. I am a strong proponent of Google’s G suite of products. I love Google’s Calendar because it can do so many things. It can be enhanced by many third party apps and plug-ins and is, in my opinion, the top product in its class. Having said this, I want you to know that Microsoft’s Outlook and Apple’s iCloud are both considered top of category products by many. They are also feature-rich, and both have many overlapping features and benefits. I suggest you use my list of Google Calendar features as a checklist for any calendar system you're looking to adopt. Also, make sure you take the time to vet any add-ons and that you do your due diligence by reading the additional articles linked here.  Articles I recommend reading are 16 Little-Known Google Calendar Features That'll Make You More Productive, 10 Awesome Google Calendar Features That You Should Try and  9 Google Calendar Features You Should Be Using. The last article I would like you to read is one by Melanie Pinola.  In her article “Beyond Google Calendar and Apple Calendar: The 18 Best Apps to Manage Your Schedule”, Melanie Pinola list some of the best plug-in apps for enhancing your calendar. Check it out and also look at the notes page as I have listed over a dozen articles on using and enhancing your calendar.

Short List Google G Suite Calendar Feature

• It’s Highly integrated with Google G suite and the Google Contacts manager.
• You can Create Multiple Calendars for different parts of your life (personal and business). View them all together or selectively.
• You can Share Your Calendars with Others both publicly and privately.
• You can Schedule meetings with groups using "Find a Time" or "Suggested Times."
• You can Setup Appointment Slots so that others can get appointments with you.
• You can set up Auto-reject meeting and appointment for non-approved timeslots.
• You can Add a Google Hangout to your event to eliminate windshield time.
• You can Add an event location with a Google map that works with your smartphone's GPS
• Set up a world clock so that appointments can be set up with partners around the world.
• You can Add attachments so that this information can be shared before and during the meeting.
• You can set it up so that the names of those you're meeting with show up in the Calendar.
• You can invite guests to meetings and events via Gmail, and they can confirm attendance.
• You can Browse interesting calendars like holidays and events from other countries.
• You can Setup a custom view of your Calendar (not just a day, week, or monthly views).
• Email a reminder for your meeting – including the use of gentle notifications.
• You can get apps and other plugin's to enhance its capabilities from Google and third parties.
• Google regularly releases experimental add -on’s you can use to add features.
• It integrates with CRM’s like ZOHO, Salesforce, and other non-CRM programs

Courtesy of  Wikimedia Commons

Microsoft Outlook Online – There is no doubt that Microsoft is one of the top players in the world of online computing. They have a cloud network that is second to none and their Outlook product should be considered, especially if you are an office 365 user. To review the features and benefits of their Outlook product, check out the articles and links below.

• https://blogs.office.com/2015/08/04/new-features-coming-to-outlook-on-the-web/
• https://itservices.usc.edu/office365/calendar/owa/
• https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-com/

Apple iCloud Calendar – Apple has one of the most loyal followings in the world. This is 

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because they produce some of the finest and most useful products in the world. If you’re an Apple loyalist and not using iCloud, something is wrong. If you are looking at moving to the Apple platform, then iCloud make the straw that makes that move a no-brainer for you. Check out the following links to explore the many Apple calendaring features and benefits.

• http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/08/22/10-of-the-best-ios-calendar-apps/
• https://support.apple.com/kb/ph2672?locale=en_US
• https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202835
• https://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/calendars/
• http://www.cultofmac.com/223342/five-awesome-tips-and-tricks-to-master-os-x-calendar-feature/
• http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/best-calendar-app-for-mac/

Make sure that your calendar is available across all devices and platforms, as this will give you maximum flexibility and access. Also, see if it integrates with the latest Artificial Intelligence assistants like SIRI, OK Google, and the Amazon Echo.

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There are a lot of apps that can plug in with your calendars. Do a search in your app store to find which one’s work with the calendar of your choice. We use Google’s G Suite calendar, and it can be integrated into CRM programs.

Tip for Managing Your Calendar

To make your calendar usage is the best it can be, make sure you follow these simple tips. Create a routine. This will get and keep you in the groove of organizing your life. Whenever possible group calls and meeting. Make sure you set up appointment slots and block out time for networking, social media posting, making calls, and to read email.  Also, make sure you setup email filters, plan your personal time, setup time slots to tackle the important tasks. Don’t forget to set priorities for meeting, events, and tasks. And lastly, break big tasks into subtask and give each a time slot.

Managing Your Social Media needs a Calendar

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Make sure you add your social media work to your calendar tasks. This will help you track performance and make sure you never miss an important date or deadline. Social media can be a black hole for time. Your calendar can help make sure you manage your social media time; help keeps you from spamming accounts because of overlapping post and make sure that your blog post gets written and published on time.

Your Networking Needs a Calendar

If you’re into face to face networking, your calendar is your friend. As a consummate Networker, you need to schedule your time to maximize your results. Make sure you block out time for network meeting and events. Make e sure your calendar time for writing and practicing your elevator speeches and short presentations. Never eat lunch alone. Invite 

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referral partners to lunch for 1-2-1 and get more referrals.

 If you’re not currently using an online calendaring system, you are hurting your productivity and stealing from your personal time. Take the time to try several of the calendars mention in this article. Adopt one of them and get organized. You will quickly learn that a cloud-based calendar is not only an indispensable tool, but it will also add more personal time and enhance your life.

That’s my opinion; I look forward to hearing yours.

In this article, I have discussed the importance of using a cloud-based calendar to enhance your ability to organize, share and communicate your business and personal events and tasks. Doing so will increase your efficiency and give you more time to do the things you want to do versus the things you must do. Detail and links have been provided for the top three systems, including Google’s, Apples and Microsoft calendar systems. This article was first published in the blog called Workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com.

If you’d like to read more articles like this, enter the term “Success” in the search box at the top of this blog. I recommend reading How to Avoid the Stress & Burnout of Social Media Management and  Top 18 Tips That Can Maximize Your Content Marketing for starters.

Hector Cisneros is a partner, COO and Social Media Director for the award-winning, Internet-based marketing firm, Working the Web to Win, in Jacksonville, FL. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube. He’s also the co-host of BlogTalkRadio’s “Working the Web to Win,” where he and Working the Web to Win’s co-founder, Carl Weiss, make working the web to win simple for every business. He's a published author of three books, "60 Seconds to Success"(available at Amazon and B&N), and "Internet Marketing for the 21st Century," which you can get by filling out the form above. He’s also the co-author of the new book, “Working The Web to Win,” which is now available on Amazon.com.