To add an appointment in Google Calendar, click on an open time, type a name for the appointment and press Enter. The appointment will be one hour by default. To change the length of the appointment, click and drag on the bottom edge of the box. To change details about the appointment, including reminders, click on the text inside the appointment box.
When you record appointments, follow these special TRO rules to budget your time effectively:
- Name. Appointment names should match the context or person. Include the phone number if you will be calling.
- Full Duration. Allocate the full time, including travel time (in a separate box).
- Use Free/Busy/Tentative. Google Calendar does not support Free/Busy/Tentative status, so do it yourself, like this:
- Busy: Normal appointments.
- Tentative: Possible commitments. (“I can meet at 3 or 5 pm, which one works best?” Schedule both with ONE leading asterisk until confirmed: *Bob Jones.)
- Free: Advisory only. (“Spouse will at park with the kids.” Start the name with TWO asterisks: “**Kids at Park.)
- Set Reminders. Always set appointment alarms or reminders. (This helps you honor your appointments.)
- Recurring. If the appointment repeats, always make it a recurring appointment.
- Categorize. (ONLY for strategic calendar.) Give the appointment a context and color by adding to a separate life area calendar. Combine all the colors into one view by clicking them to enable them. Unless you do this, some life areas will be missing from your strategic calendar.
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