Image: Onecal
Like many college students, I have a busy schedule. From classes to work to studying to events on campus, it feels like a lot. Even sitting down to write this article, I was panicking. Not because I didn’t have time to write it, but because I didn’t have enough time to study in my schedule. This is my own doing, but with how plans can change in mere minutes, and hour-long group meetings for a project can turn into hours of chatting and saying it’s time to lock in — only to get distracted by a quip — it can turn a perfectly planned schedule into an overwhelming nightmare.
I use Google Calendar like many students, to the extent that I have color-coded what my week will look like from work, studying, classes to even different events. Items like studying I mark as free, because if my group needs to meet for a project or if my friends want to study together, I want them to see I am available. I think everyone should use Google Calendar for the simple reason that it makes finding times to work together much easier. I think everyone at some point in their life will come across a time where they are trying to find a time to work together with their group or with a partner, and when they search for that person, expecting to see blocks of ‘busy’, they see nothing. What a shame that a simple time to meet outside of class now requires more discussion with someone when all they needed to do was just block out time when they are busy. Now, it is not rocket science. It does not take more than 30 minutes since you can repeat times and days, and I usually set up my Google calendar to repeat throughout the whole semester and delete a class when necessary, like for advisement.
Now, other benefits for Google Calendar are that you can set different reminders instead of the default 10-minute reminder before an event, or you can choose to have multiple reminders. It’s beneficial when I’ve lost time and I hear the little tone that reminds me that I will be eating something in 15 minutes and that I need to transition into that time. As many of us have a device at our fingertips, it seems simple enough to utilize something like Google Calendar. Plus, with all the fun customization options, if you choose to, it makes your life easier. Another benefit is that many websites and apps have an ‘add to calendar’ option like mySNC, so instead of trying to remember if a campus event is at 6:00 or 7:00 p.m., you can just add it to your calendar.
To conclude, I find Google Calendar the easiest way to stay on top of everything going on, especially during really busy exam periods. It helps me find ways to enjoy free time in between writing papers, working without having to stress. This article is dedicated to my friends who don’t use Google Calendar, so I have to plan events and hope they are free.