A busy week.  Those words will occupy a lot of thoughts and conversations today.  We pack so many activities and so much work into such little time.  When it is all done, we are left with a few precious minutes  for ourselves.  That “leftover” time is typically reserved for sleep, but if we are really lucky it will mean a moment with our favorite gadget, book, magazine, movie, etc.

The key to maximizing our schedules is organization and (ironically) it takes time to get organized.  For those of you in the “9 to 5″ crowd, you probably have access to Microsoft Outlook for managing your work hours but what about the rest of your life?  What about users who don’t have access to this email/calendar program (part of a $300 Microsoft Office package)?  Even if you had a wonderful program like Outlook, would you have the time/opportunity to get in front of a computer regularly throughout the day?

For anyone interested in using a calendar to keep track of events and schedules there is a solution that offers the flexibility of an electronic system and the mobility needed in our busy lives… Google Calendar and Google Sync.  They are both FREE and can help you find the time for what really matters, without wasting hours in setup.

Google Calendar

Students, Professionals, Mothers and anyone else with a hectic, busy schedule can keep track of life’s important events all in one place, for FREE.  Google says “organizing your schedule shouldn’t be a burden” and I couldn’t agree more.

Google Calendar Daily View

There are countless ways that Google Calendar can help you and there are constant additions to the functionality of this program.  Google has an overview page that does a great job of explaining the benefits of this FREE, web-based program.  I would just like to share a few reasons that I use Calendar:

• Reminders – One time, weekly, monthly or a year in advance.  I can set a reminder to pay a bill, send in an important tax document or simply for scheduling a meeting.  If it is on the calendar, I will have a hard time missing it.
• Sharing – I can share my calendar with family and business partners to let them know when I am busy and what I am doing.
• Contacts – My contacts (stored in Google Contacts) are instantly available in Calendar for setting up meetings, inviting someone to an event or sharing.  I don’t have to remember or write down email addresses.

Google Sync

Having your day, month or week scheduled out in Google Calendar is great, but what about accessing your calendar on the go?  If you can’t see the calendar, it is useless, right?  Google Sync can put the contents of your calendar on your cell phone.  With a smart phone, you can view your calendar, add events, set up new appointments, etc.  If you don’t have an iPhone, Blackberry or Android based phone, you can still receive reminders via SMS (text messages).

Google Sync for Your Mobile Phone

Features vary, depending on your device, but with the majority of the world moving to mobile phones, users will find Google Calendar and Google Sync to be a life-saver.  Get organized, schedule your week and find a way to earn back that all too important free time that has escaped you for so long.  Setting up these services takes just minutes and doesn’t cost you a dime.

Tags: Android, Blackberry, Calendar, Contacts, FREE, Google, iPhone, Mobile, phone, Schedule, Smart, Sync

This entry was posted on Monday, March 29th, 2010 at 9:26 am and is filed under Free Programs, Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.