Calendar etiquette and procedure
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Attach Agendas to Meetings: Always attach an agenda to your meeting invites. Create the agenda in Google Docs and save it in a shared folder accessible to all participants. When you attach it to the meeting description, a link to the document will be created. For recurring meetings, the same document will carry over each week to the next meeting. This ensures everyone is prepared and on the same page.
Accept and Decline Meetings Promptly: Respond to meeting invites promptly by either accepting or declining. If you need to cancel, do so with as much notice as possible so the rest of the team can reschedule or proceed without you. This helps organizers plan accordingly and ensures meetings are efficient and purposeful.
Propose New Meeting Times: If a meeting time does not work for you, use the "Propose a new time" feature in Google Calendar. This allows for more flexibility and ensures meetings can be rescheduled to suit everyone’s availability.
View Colleagues' Calendars: Regularly check your colleagues' calendars to understand their availability. This helps you schedule meetings at times that are convenient for everyone.
Plan Ahead for PTO: Look ahead at your planned PTO (Paid Time Off) and reject or reschedule any recurring meetings during that period. This prevents any disruption in communication or project timelines.
Mark PTO on Both Company and Personal Calendars: Always mark your PTO on both your company and personal calendars. This ensures everyone in the organization knows your absence and can plan around it.
Communicate Asynchronously: Use your calendar to communicate asynchronously with your team. Mark your working hours, block out focused work time, and use status indicators to let your team know when you are available or busy. This helps manage expectations and reduce interruptions.
Use Shared Calendars: Utilize shared calendars for team projects or department events. This keeps everyone informed about important dates and deadlines.
🚙 Signaling Your Availability: Be Visible, Be Predictable. Use your calendar like a blinker to help your team navigate smoothly.
Set Reminders and Notifications: Set reminders and notifications for important meetings and deadlines. This helps you stay on track and ensures you do not miss any critical appointments.
Regularly Review and Update Your Calendar: Make it a habit to review and update your calendar regularly. Remove or reschedule any meetings that are no longer relevant, and ensure all events and appointments are up-to-date.
Use time blocking: Block time to allocate dedicated time for specific tasks, including deep work, administrative tasks, and breaks. This can improve productivity and focus.
Schedule Buffer Times Between Meetings: Schedule buffer times of at least 5 minutes between meetings to allow for transitions, note-taking, or brief breaks. This prevents back-to-back meeting fatigue.
Customize Notification Preferences: Customize notification settings to avoid interruptions during focused work. Use notifications strategically to stay informed without being distracted.
Set 'Do Not Disturb' Times: Set ‘Do Not Disturb’ times on your calendar when you do not want to be interrupted, ensuring you have time for focused work or personal commitments.
Use Consistent Event Naming: Use consistent naming conventions for calendar events to make them easily identifiable and searchable.
Color-Code Events: Use color-coding to differentiate between types of events (e.g., meetings, deadlines, personal time) for quick visual reference.
Integrate with Other Tools: Ensure your calendar is integrated with other collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams) to streamline notifications and scheduling.
Use Calendar for Task Management: Use calendar features for task management by scheduling time for key tasks and deadlines. This helps visualize workload and priorities.
