In case you’re not up with the gmail these days, it’s a free, web-based e-mail system with unlimited storage that is run by Google. One of gmail’s many (many) features is its calendar, which you can tweak to your heart’s content. You can create as many calendars as you want — for home and work, for each of your kids — and choose a different color for each of them. You can also set as many reminders as you like in the form of e-mail, text message, and pop-up, as far ahead of the event as you would like.
Using gmail calendar is pretty self-explanatory — just click on the calendar link in your gmail inbox:
The "calendar" feature to the right of "gmail" in the top left corner of your browser. I have highlighted it for your convenience. Don't say I never did anything for you.
When you click on the calendar link, you’ll be taken to a page that looks like this:
Click on a time slot to create an event. Go on... all the cool kids are doing it.
To create an event, just click on a day and a time. You can create an event quickly by typing it into the dialogue box that appears. If you want to create an repeating event, click “edit” in the dialogue box. You’ll be taken to a page that looks like this:
The ability to set SMS reminders is one of the most powerful tools in in gmail calendar. Customize them to keep from getting overwhelmed.
If you have a recurring event, click the “does not repeat” tool bar. You’ll be given options to have the event repeat daily, weekly, monthy, MWF, TTh, what have you. If you’d like to set reminders for yourself, customize the e-mail, SMS, and pop-up settings.
I’ve found that the reminders work best when I have the one-day e-mail reminders set only for events for which I have to leave the house. If I need to be somewhere at a certain time, I set an SMS reminder for an hour or 90 minutes in advance, depending on how far I have to travel.
For events that just require task-switching — that is, where I remain at the same location, but need to start doing something else — I found that the 24-hour e-mail notice was actually counterproductive. I found that I simply ignored an e-mail telling me that I was supposed to, say, start doing research 24 hours from now. What was worse, is that I found I started to ignore all e-mail calendar reminders. I’ve found that SMS and pop-ups, set at 30 minutes and 10 minutes in advance, to be the most helpful for task-switching. They provide me with a visual and aural reminder that it’s time to wind down what I’m doing and to go work on something else.