14 Google Calendar Hacks & Keyboard shortcuts to save time

Google Calendar is one of the most effective productivity tools available, but are you making the most of its extensive features? If you’re like the majority, you may not fully maximize its potential!

Then, shall I take you on a journey to explore Google calendar hacks to boost productivity?

What is Google Calendar?

Google Calendar is a free online calendar that acts like a digital planner. It’s not just for jotting down your appointments. You can use it to manage your work schedule and share it with others.

For businesses (especially remotely working businesses), Google Calendar is an incredible tool. Google Calendar is connected to other Google apps like Google Meet & Google Maps. That makes scheduling meetings, keeping track of your daily tasks, and receiving reminders a breeze.

However, Google Calendar offers more than that. While it might seem like just a regular scheduling tool, it’s packed with fantastic features that can make your daily life more organized and efficient. 

So, whether you’re a student, professional, or simply someone who wants to keep life in order, Google Calendar has something to offer.

Read our Ultimate Guide to Google Calendar to learn how to use Google Calendar for maximum results.

Google calendar hacks to boost productivity

Shall we see the Google calendar tips you can use to save your time & boost productivity.

1.A shortcut to create a new event.

The typical way of creating a new event is by opening Google Calendar & creating events manually. But that is a hassle.  

Let me tell you a shortcut that will save time. 

1.Open your web browser.

2. Type “cal. new” in the search bar and click enter.

2.Set a default reminder for every event.

You don’t have to manually set reminders for the new events you create. Instead, you can set default reminders that will automatically apply to all your upcoming events. 

Here’s how to add a default reminder:

1. Go to your G cal Homepage.
2. Click the gear icon in the top right-hand corner and select “calendar Settings.”

In the left-hand menu, select “Settings for My Calendars” and click on your calendar.

3.Scroll down to “Event Notifications” and click “Add Notification.”

4.Choose the desired number of minutes, hours, or days for your reminder.

5.You can even add multiple reminders if you want, such as 10 minutes, 1 hour, and 1 day before events.

From now on, every new event you create will automatically include these default reminders!

3.Use advanced filter search to find events.

Have you ever faced a situation where you needed to find, change, or review an event but couldn’t recall its date or details, whether it’s a past or future event? 

If you have, Google Calendar’s advanced filters in the Search Bar can be your solution. In just a few seconds, you can locate any event by filtering using criteria like calendar, keywords, location, and date. 

Here’s how:

1. Go to your Calendar Homepage and click on the magnifying glass in the top right-hand corner to open the search bar.
2. Click the drop-down arrow to reveal the advanced search filters.

3.Enter any information you remember related to the event.

4.Click on “Search.”

4.Set a custom calendar view.

You can add a custom calendar view of 2-7 days or 2-4 weeks.

1.Go to the Google Calendar homepage & click the setting icon at the top right-hand corner.

2. Click General & then View options in the menu.

3.Click the arrow in the drop-down menu & select your preferred custom view. 

4.Return to the Calendar homepage & select Custom Calendar View from the drop-down menu in the top right-hand corner.

5.Use the secondary time zone feature to reduce scheduling errors.

Are you frequently managing schedules across various time zones? Say goodbye to scheduling errors using the Google Calendar’s Secondary Time Zone feature

Let’s see how to set it up,

1.Open your Google Calendar & click the settings icon to open the settings menu. 

2. Click the General option & then select the Time zone option.

3. Check the Display secondary time zone check box. 
4. Select the secondary time zone from the drop-down menu.

6.Recurring Events and Meetings

Stay organized effortlessly and effectively manage your recurring meetings using Google Calendar’s recurring events feature.

Here is how to set it up:

• Mark the event as recurring when you create it.
• Choose the frequency of repetition (such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly)

With this quick method, you will save valuable time.

7.Set your working hours.

Promote seamless team communication and coordination by specifying your working hours. Whether you keep a flexible schedule, collaborate across different time zones, or aim to share your availability effectively, this functionality can be a game-changer. 

Please be aware that it’s only accessible to Google Workspace subscribers.

To begin, follow these straightforward steps:

1. Access “Settings” and go to “General.”
2. Click “Working Hours” and specify your desired start and end times.

By setting your working hours, you streamline scheduling for yourself and anyone planning meetings with you.

8.Restore deleted events.

Have you ever mistakenly deleted an important event? No need to worry! You can promptly recover deleted events by following these instructions:

1.Click on the gear icon and choose “Trash/Bin.”

2.Browse through your recently deleted events.

3.Select the event you wish to restore by checking the checkbox.

4.Click the arrow icon above the list, and The event is back to your calendar.

9.Hand Over Meeting Control

Sometimes, you have to transfer the role of managing a planned meeting. Whether it’s because of personal emergencies, illness, or pressing duties, you can smoothly give this responsibility to another person. 

Here’s the process:

1. Click “Additional Options” next to the meeting name.
2. Include the email address of the new organizer.
3. Select “Change organizer.”
4. The new organizer will be notified and granted access to all the meeting details you initially inputted into the calendar.

10.Add attachments to events.

Enhance your Google Calendar experience by adding attachments to your events. Imagine attending a meeting with all the essential documents readily available.

But that’s not all! You can attach documents to calendar entries on your computer and seamlessly access them through the Google Calendar App on your phone. 

No more time wasted on printing stacks of documents before an event. Keep everything close to your reach.

To add an attachment, click the paperclip icon within the event’s description and upload the relevant attachment. It’s that straightforward!

11.Plan group meetings with the “Find a time” feature.

Organizing group meetings can be quite a challenge, especially when everyone has different schedules. However, by using the “Find a time” feature, you can easily check when everyone is available in one place. 

Say goodbye to endless email exchanges or frustrating availability clashes. With this feature, you can effortlessly discover a time that suits everyone and schedule your meeting.

Here is how to do this,

When setting up an event, switch to the “Find a Time” tab alongside the Event Details to access a unified overview of your participants’ schedules:

If you spot any vacant slots, reserve them! It indicates that the time is open, increasing the likelihood of your participants accepting your invitation.

Please remember that you can only view the calendars of individuals who have shared their calendars with you.

12.Share your Google Calendar.

Google Calendar makes it easy for you to let others see your schedule by simply sharing a link. When you do this, they can view your calendar on their own Google Calendar page. This way, they can keep track of your work-related events and see when you’re available for meetings.

Granting someone full access to your calendar means they can:

1. Respond to event invitations.
2. Create and edit events.
3. Share your calendar with others.
4. Get email notifications about changes to your calendar.
5. Delete your calendar.

To share your calendar, follow these steps:

1. Click on ‘Settings.’
2. Navigate to ‘Settings for My Calendars.’
3. Choose the calendar you want to share.
4. Select ‘Share with specific people or groups.’

5.Click ‘Add people’ and enter the email address or name of the person you want to share it with.

13.Keep your calendar private.

Have you ever wondered if your colleagues spy on your daily schedule? Even if they aren’t, and you prefer to keep things confidential, you can set your calendar to private mode.

It ensures that your daily meetings and discussions remain completely private. Here’s how you can do it:

1.Open a particular event (or create a new one) and click on the pencil icon to edit it.

2. Next to the briefcase icon on the left side, click the ‘Default visibility’ drop-down menu and choose ‘Private.’

3. Click ‘Save.’

14.Send emails to all the event attendees at once.

Imagine a situation where you forgot to communicate important details to the people you invited, and now you need to send individual emails to each of them. 

While this might be manageable if you have only a few attendees, it can become a real challenge when you’re hosting a large group, say, over a hundred people.

Fortunately, Google Calendar offers a solution to spare you from this hassle. As long as you’ve added all the guests who will be attending the event, you can send the same email to everyone simultaneously.

To do this, simply click on the event block in your calendar view and then click on the envelope symbol. A window for composing an email to all attendees will appear, allowing you to send the message with ease.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Google Calendar

For anyone using Google Calendar on a computer, it is beneficial to familiarize yourself with handy keyboard shortcuts. 

We will guide you through these shortcuts, which help you efficiently view, navigate, and operate within your calendar.

To activate the keyboard shortcuts, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to ‘Settings.’
2. Select ‘Keyboard shortcuts.’
3. Enable the shortcuts by checking the box within this tab.

Once you’ve turned on the keyboard shortcuts, you can view the list of available shortcuts by simply typing a question mark (‘?’).

1. Create a New Event: Press “C” to open a new event window fast.
2. Navigate to today: To view today’s schedule, press “t”
3. Switch Calendar Views: Use “D” for the Day view, “W” for the Week view, “M” for the Month view, and “X” for custom view.
4. Previous and Next Dates: To go to the previous date, press “P,” and for the next date, press “N”
5. Quick Event Edit: Press “E” to edit the selected event.
6. Open Event Details: To view event details, press “Enter” or “O”
7. Move to Calendar List: Use “U” to focus on the calendar list on the left.
8. Quick search: Press “/” to place the cursor in the search bar.
9. Refresh Calendar: To refresh your calendar, press “R”
10. Delete Event: If you want to delete an event, click on the event and press the “Delete” or “Backspace” key.
11. Print Calendar: To open the print dialog for your calendar, press “Ctrl + P” (or “Cmd + P” on Mac).
12. Move to Date: To jump to a specific date, press “G” and then enter the date you want to go to.
13. Quick Event Pop-up: Press “Q” to open a quick event pop-up, where you can enter event details without leaving your current view.
14. Toggle Sidebar: If you want to toggle the left sidebar on and off, press “Ctrl + M” (or “Cmd + M” on Mac).
15. Undo: To undo your last action, press “Ctrl + Z” (or “Cmd + Z” on Mac).
16. Redo: If you want to redo an action, press “Ctrl + Y” (or “Cmd + Y” on Mac).
17. Go to Next/Previous Event: While viewing event details, you can use the “Tab” key to navigate to the next field, and “Shift + Tab” to go to the previous field.
18. Toggle All-Day Event: When creating or editing an event, press “A” to toggle the “All day” option.
19. Quickly Save Event: After creating or editing an event, press “Ctrl + Enter” (or “Cmd + Enter” on Mac) to quickly save it.

These keyboard shortcuts can make your Google Calendar experience more efficient and user-friendly.