Google Calendar is a powerful day planner for people from all walks of life. As a student, you can use Google Calendar to plan your entire week in advance like classes, free time, games, events, and more. And then you can automate some parts like weather reports, adding birthdays, and even calculating how much time you spend in classes. Here are some of the best Google Calendar tips for students.
1. Color Code Events/Subjects
The first Google Calendar tip for you as a student is using multiple colors for different events. For example, each subject can be assigned a color. That will save you some time while glancing at your schedule several times a day. Here’s how to color-code your schedule in Google Calendar.
1. Open Google Calendar in your favorite browser. Click anywhere on the Calendar below a particular date to create an event. Click on the color displayed next to your account name which will expand the section.
2. Click on the color icon next to your name.
3. Choose a color from the drop-down menu.
4. Click on Save. Repeat the same steps to create more events.
Using one color for a particular subject, lecture, or event will make the calendar appear both visually beautiful and functional.
2. Import Calendars
Gone are the days of copying someone else’s calendar bit by bit. Google Calendar lets you import your teacher’s or fellow students’ classes in a few steps.
Note that you must have the ICS file (calendar file format) that your friend sent you on your local storage. If not, ask him/her to share the calendar file first and download it.
1. Click on the gear icon or cog wheel in the upper right corner and select Settings.
2. Select Import & export in the sidebar and then click on Select files from your computer.
3. Select the calendar you want to export from your local storage and click Upload.
4. Now click on the Import button and the magic is done. You’ve imported someone else’s calendar events to your calendar in Google Calendar.
3. Using Multiple Calendars
When you are attending multiple lectures from different teachers, your calendar becomes a bit messy. To avoid that, you can opt to use multiple calendars which will declutter your calendar and save you from being overwhelmed. Plus, you can toggle on and off these calendars and see if you have any lectures overlapping or not. Here are the steps to create a new calendar inside Google Calendar to keep things tidy.
1. Click on the + icon near Other Calendars on the bottom left side.
2. Click Create new calendar in the menu that opens.
3. Type a name and description for it and click on Create calendar button.
And there you have it. You can view the newly created calendar on the left side along with your other calendars.
Now you can toggle on and off the required calendars from the list to see if you have any classes, lectures, or exams clashing with others or not. Turning off a calendar will also declutter the UI helping you focus on classes that need your attention.
4. Offline Mode
As the name suggests, offline mode allows you to view all events, calendars, and schedules without the need for an active internet connection. Whenever you are in offline mode you can’t create or edit events, but you can still view them. You can’t email guests in offline mode plus tasks and reminders won’t be accessible. If you are going to someplace where there won’t be internet for a while, you can use this feature in peace. Offline mode is handy for those who easily get distracted by the constant stream of notifications.
Note: Offline mode might not work on browsers other than Google Chrome.
Here’s how to activate offline mode on Google Calendar.
1. First, click on the gear icon again in the top right corner and select Settings.
2. Click Offline in the sidebar and toggle on Turn on offline calendar option towards the bottom of the screen.
3. Click on Reload now at the bottom of the screen to refresh the page.
And there you have it. An offline icon will appear right next to the Settings icon indicating it is ready for offline use.
5. Adding Google Meet Meetings to Calendar
Teachers are choosing to hold classes for their students via video calling apps like Google Meet. Meet is also a great tool for group studying or for attending important lectures. Now Google has integrated Meet with Calendar. With one click, you can schedule a meeting with your study buddies or professors.
1. First, click anywhere on the calendar to create an event, and then click Add Google Meet video conferencing button.
2. A Google Meet link will be generated for you to share with others. After that. click on Save.
Now you can share this event with anyone and there will be no need to send invites individually again later.
6. Automate With IFTTT
IFTTT is an automation tool that connects with a number of apps to automate workflows based on conditions using what they call recipes. It also integrates with Google Calendar. As a student, there are two workflows that I think will benefit you.
The first one is for tracking work hours. For you, that will be classes or events that you attend daily. All you have to do is create an account on IFTTT and download it on your smartphone. Now connect Google Calendar to the app using the above link. On the next screen, you need to choose the location where you attend classes. Save changes and you are done. Don’t forget to enable GPS.
Now, every time you reach the destination, IFTTT will log the time on your calendar and when you exit, it will again log the time giving you an idea of how many hours you were there. All of this happens in the background and you will easily view the logs right on Google Calendar.
Over a period of time, you will get a fair idea of where all of your time is going and whether you are actually doing what you have scheduled in your calendar.
You can also add today’s weather report to your Calendar app automatically. So you know if you need to carry an umbrella or wear sunscreen.
Recess Time
Color coding, importing calendars, adding multiple calendars, offline mode, and Google Meet are some of the best Google Calendar tips for students amongst others. You can integrate these into your daily life for more efficient productivity throughout the day.
Some other things that you can do with Google Calendar are importing birthdays from your Facebook account, adding birthdays from your contacts app on your phone, syncing Fitbit data, and using the reminders so you never forget a thing again in life.
