How I Organize My Google Calendar | The Best Time Blocking App for Scheduling + Productivity

Google calendar is my go-to calendar app-not just for appointments and events, but also to time block my to-do list! Learn how to maximize your peak energy hours and create a calm color-coded calendar you’re excited to check every day.
➕➕➕ LINKS ➕➕➕
Grab My Calendar Hex Codes: kalynbrooke.com/google-calend...
Master Task List (with FREE template!): • My Complete Notion Tas...
Spend a Potato Day with Me: • Join Me for a Cozy Wor...
➕➕➕ WATCH THESE NEXT ➕➕➕
Introduction to Notion: • What is Notion Good Fo...
How to Choose a Planner: • How to Choose a Planne...
My Non-Negotiable Daily Habits: • 5 Habits that TRANSFOR...
➕➕➕ TIMESTAMPS ➕➕➕
00:00 Intro
00:53 What is Time Blocking?
02:10 Why I Use Google Calendar
03:12 Multiple Calendars for Productivity
04:06 Add Custom Colors
04:45 All of My Google Calendars Explained
08:11 Create Your Ideal Week (Then Add Layers!)
08:51 Add a Recurring Calendar Block
10:03 Different Calendar Views
10:38 An Important Reminder!
11:44 My Best Tip for Time Blocking
12:18 Conclusion
➕➕➕ ABOUT ME ➕➕➕
Hi! I’m Kalyn. My mission here (and in life!) is to help you create mindful planning and productivity systems. I'm a digital/analog hybrid planner who spends her free time hiking, reading, and reorganizing my Notion dashboards. I also live and travel full-time in an RV!
Learn how to integrate wellness with your to-do’s and create gentle rhythms that support your daily life via the links below.
❤︎ The Monday Files: kalynbrooke.com/email-signup/
❤︎ Instagram: / kalynbrookeco
❤︎ Website: kalynbrooke.com/
FOLLOW OUR FULL-TIME RV LIFE TRAVELS ⤵️
📍Instagram: / openroading
📍KZread: / @openroading

Пікірлер: 72

  • @KalynBrookeCo
    @KalynBrookeCo4 ай бұрын

    For those who are looking for the color palette, you can find it here! kalynbrooke.com/google-calendar-color-codes/

  • @robertsonjg
    @robertsonjg5 ай бұрын

    Great tip about how to find the codes for the colors. I will definitely be using that hint.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    I’m glad it was helpful to you! 👏

  • @NYC_CuriousG
    @NYC_CuriousG5 ай бұрын

    Finally a time blocking system made simple. Of all the videos I’ve watched, I can see myself using yours. Subscribed and thank you!

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    That makes me so happy to hear that! Thank you!

  • @lofivibesinspace3879
    @lofivibesinspace38794 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much! I'm going to try it this week, I'm working on it right now.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    4 ай бұрын

    AWESOME! I hope it goes very well.

  • @lofivibesinspace3879

    @lofivibesinspace3879

    4 ай бұрын

    It is!@@KalynBrookeCo

  • @debt8545
    @debt85455 ай бұрын

    Great ideas and pointers. I use several Google calendars a little differently, this logic will help me, for sure. Thanks.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    I am glad you found it helpful!

  • @kisha_mt
    @kisha_mt2 ай бұрын

    This is very helpful, I will try to learn time blocking. Thank you for this video

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    2 ай бұрын

    Let me know how it goes! 🙌

  • @silleecat
    @silleecat4 ай бұрын

    If someone is averse to using Google calendar or other apps, here’s an alternative. My first life coach 15 years ago (before all these cool apps existed) had given me an excel sheet with time blocks that were color coded for each task group: work, personal time off, self-care, appointments, and family/social. It was so effective for my life and productivity! You can do this too. Create the first column and enter the hours going down from when you start your day and go to bed. Then across the top add the days of the week. Finally create your time blocks similar to what it would look like in this tutorial the colored blocks of time and there you have it! Another way to manage your schedule which can be changed at anytime if you don’t like it or doesn’t fit your needs. Don’t forget to print it out and tape it up somewhere so you see it every day to remind you of what you’re working towards. 😊 For me, I love this new system to manage my busy single mom schedule while building a new business, and I’m excited to move over from using an excel sheet to using Google calendar. Thanks for this awesome tutorial! 😅

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    4 ай бұрын

    Great option as well! Thanks for sharing.

  • @silleecat

    @silleecat

    4 ай бұрын

    my pleasure, and thank you again for this tutorial. I created my calendar and downloaded the google calendar app on my phone, and I am loving it!! @@KalynBrookeCo

  • @wallsofgab
    @wallsofgab4 ай бұрын

    This is the best explanation of a time blocking system I've seen on youtube. I'm disabled, and the concept of time is hard for me. It's even harder for me to focus and stay consistent with most planners, even physical ones. Thank you for making this easy for my frazzled brain!

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    4 ай бұрын

    I'm so glad that this was a helpful way for you to grasp this concept! It can really help to find the right visuals to sort of cement a picture of how it works in our minds, for sure.

  • @thaisgosti
    @thaisgosti3 ай бұрын

    I also have potato days and I love them.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    3 ай бұрын

    I love it when someone else gets how wonderful they are!

  • @tammara6139
    @tammara61392 ай бұрын

    First time taking a go at color-coded calendar and time blocking. I look forward to getting organized and a place of calm.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    2 ай бұрын

    I'd love to hear what you think when you've given it a try!

  • @heatherbates2052
    @heatherbates20524 ай бұрын

    ADHD. Searching for planner that fits. I’ve been looking at physical paper ones. I already use Google Calendar but only in month view and don’t time block. I’m going to try it. Thanks for the info.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    4 ай бұрын

    I'm so glad this is helpful for you! Thank you for stopping by. :)

  • @BigDogMom
    @BigDogMom3 ай бұрын

    Terrific video! Thank you! I have tried time blocking in the past with Google Calendar. I stuck with it for several weeks with notifications 15 minutes before the next block was to start. I really liked the schedule and routine, but I didn’t set up my calendar correctly. Everything was set up as an event,.. not as a new calendar like I see you doing. I’m going to try this! Do you set up notifications to stay on track or just print the calendar at the beginning of the week. I purchased a Deep Work paper planner too for time blocking… perhaps there’s a way to make both work for me?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    3 ай бұрын

    I'm glad that this helped you with some ideas of how to make Google Calendar work for you! I personally find notifications as well as just getting in the habit of opening my calendar daily is good, but I do refer to it and write my big tasks for the week in a paper calendar as well. Experiment and see what works for you, and I'd love to hear about it!!

  • @brandiknight2851
    @brandiknight28515 ай бұрын

    Great video. This is my first time blocking virtually. How did you add the icons to your calendar titles?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    It’s super easy! If you’re on a Mac, click to rename the calendar and do CMD + CTRL + SPACE to bring up an emoji window. Then you can choose whichever icon you would like. 🙌🏻 I’m not sure how to choose one from a PC, but you can always go to emojipedia.org and copy and paste an emoji from there too.

  • @brandiknight2851

    @brandiknight2851

    5 ай бұрын

    @@KalynBrookeCo Thanks for the assist. Happy New Year!

  • @boots8562
    @boots85623 ай бұрын

    I'm going to try this for work tasks. Normally, I keep it in my head what batch of work I'm doing on specific hours but often get tunnel vision and lose track of time.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    3 ай бұрын

    Awesome! I hope you find it as helpful for you as it is for me. :)

  • @Kimdobsonrealtor
    @Kimdobsonrealtor19 күн бұрын

    Time blocking does make me anxious. I am going to try it and hope to overcome my anxiety

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    19 күн бұрын

    Time blocking might not be a good fit for all, and that's okay! I hope that your experience will be positive though. :)

  • @Affirmation25
    @Affirmation255 ай бұрын

    Your notion dashboard is beautiful! Do you have a free template?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much! I don’t have a free template, but I do have a dashboard walkthrough so you can see up close what I have in mine and how it functions which may help you in building out your own. :) kzread.info/dash/bejne/qJ1-upaPZMm5gqg.htmlsi=7NCRQOMHyGTvzE5H

  • @Kosuy1
    @Kosuy15 ай бұрын

    What type of color palette are you using. It looks amazing

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    I’m working on getting the info about the color pallets and all my other style tips updated so I can share it! Hopefully in the next couple weeks. I’ll come back and let you know!

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    4 ай бұрын

    Here it is! kalynbrooke.com/google-calendar-color-codes/

  • @Kosuy1

    @Kosuy1

    4 ай бұрын

    @@KalynBrookeCo Thank you :)

  • @RozBurton-Torres
    @RozBurton-Torres2 ай бұрын

    I've been using time blocking for years, but the tool I relied on for tracking my time no longer supports that feature. How do you calculate the time spent on tasks like Content, Website updates, and more? I used hashtags previously for reporting, but now I'm exploring alternative methods. Thanks!

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    2 ай бұрын

    I use the ATracker app to “clock in” and “clock out”, which shows me how much time I usually take with a certain task. For example, it takes me about an hour to film a KZread video, but I always allot 90 minutes to give myself that extra buffer. :)

  • @pjg2688
    @pjg26885 ай бұрын

    I've used Apple Calendar rather than Google but I do like the better color options in Google Calendar. (Stupid) Question: do you have to go through Google Drive every time to pull up the calendar? Is there an easier way?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    Visual organization is just as important in my book! So it's not stupid at all. :) I just type in calendar.google.com to bring up the Google Calendar. I also keep it as a bookmark on my browser so I can easily click to open it up. Hope that helps!

  • @candiceseretin7230
    @candiceseretin72305 ай бұрын

    I have been using Outlook calendar but would love to be able to organise my calendar like this, perhaps I should move it into Google calendar. What is your view on this?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    I have never used Outlook before, but from what I've seen with it, I think it tends to be outdated and not as modern looking. However, it DOES seem possible to time block in Outlook (www.maketecheasier.com/set-up-block-schedule-in-outlook-calendar/) so it all depends on how you would like your calendar to look!

  • @cherbear8282
    @cherbear82823 ай бұрын

    How do you obtain the layered look in your calendar? Example: your work day 7-4 appears behind your focused blocks instead of side by side.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    3 ай бұрын

    Hi! I think it comes down to the start time. If the start time of any other block (from a different Google Calendar, of course) is the same time as my Work Block, then it will appear side-by-side. Otherwise, it will have a layered look.

  • @cherbear8282

    @cherbear8282

    2 ай бұрын

    Thanks! I’m going to look into this, as I want to have a layered look for a classy/presentation. I wish to have sections in the background, with more detailed segments showing within each section.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    2 ай бұрын

    @@cherbear8282 Oh, that sounds nice. I hope it works for you!

  • @sincerelym11
    @sincerelym115 ай бұрын

    Is there a way to link our google calendar with Notion?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    There is a way, but I believe it costs money because you need to use a service like Zapier to do it. I just haven't found Notion to be a great source for time blocking, especially in regards to your main event calendar. You can't see the hour by hour blocks or easily change the times if your schedule changes.

  • @sincerelym11

    @sincerelym11

    5 ай бұрын

    Thank you.🙏🏼

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    @@sincerelym11 Absolutely!

  • @wfranco37
    @wfranco37Ай бұрын

    Hi how you add emojis in the calendar name??

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    Ай бұрын

    You can use the "insert character" tool to add emojis to event titles or in the text. I think some are copy/paste approved as well--but you may need to experiment with that as sometimes it's also device dependent.

  • @liangga
    @liangga5 ай бұрын

    could i get your color pallete?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    Absolutely! I’m working on updating a post to include these for easy reference and will share as soon as I am done!

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    4 ай бұрын

    And here it is! kalynbrooke.com/google-calendar-color-codes/

  • @wrdots7953
    @wrdots79532 ай бұрын

    I color coded all my family members, but when adding an event to a certain date it don’t show the “label” color like yours, it’s just a dot with the color next to the name of the person.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    2 ай бұрын

    Oh interesting! Do you share the calendar with their accounts as well? It's nice to keep everyone on track in one space!

  • @josephcomings
    @josephcomings5 ай бұрын

    Your calendar always looks so organized…mine…does a sticky note count?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    Sure. ;)

  • @DaisyJo1022
    @DaisyJo10225 ай бұрын

    Would you be willing to share your color codes?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    Absolutely! I’m working on updating a post to include these for easy reference and will share as soon as I am done!

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    4 ай бұрын

    I’ve updated this with my color codes! kalynbrooke.com/google-calendar-color-codes/

  • @nancyasnicar

    @nancyasnicar

    4 ай бұрын

    Do you have a video that shares your routines?

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    4 ай бұрын

    @@nancyasnicar Hi! I don't have one video that covers all my routine, but I do have an older one that talks about my morning routines, and one that talks about how I use Mondays. I do talk about different parts of my routine through out different videos, but no dedicated one. I'll keep that idea in mind! kzread.info/dash/bejne/d2WW1Y-QqpC0law.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/l6SYpMt9edDOXaQ.html

  • @nancyasnicar

    @nancyasnicar

    4 ай бұрын

    @@KalynBrookeCo thank you

  • @rmendeljacobs2832
    @rmendeljacobs28325 ай бұрын

    feel like this doesn't work for someone married with a kid lol

  • @rmendeljacobs2832

    @rmendeljacobs2832

    5 ай бұрын

    like I'm needed often to put my daughter to bed, or help out around the house at random times etc. I love the idea of time blocking because everything is all organized, I just don't have my life to myself anymore, it's kind of difficult, I wonder if you have any advice for that, because similar to adding buffer and white space in the scheduling, I think even more flexible time is necessary in situations like mine - which is difficult - because more responsibilities exist.

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    5 ай бұрын

    There are seasons when some things don’t work as well as others, for sure. I think sometimes it takes some trial and error to find a system that will work for you instead of being yet another burden. That said, there is value in working towards ways to create some regularity within your need for flexibility. Maybe it won’t look quite the same as some, but maybe creating more general time blocks could work? Mornings are for certain things (even if you don’t have it set to the hour.) and then you can transition to your next set of “things” as it works for you?

  • @DeAnnaMartinez-pr1pe
    @DeAnnaMartinez-pr1pe2 ай бұрын

    1st example of insufficiency is my adhd in a nutshell 🥲😅

  • @KalynBrookeCo

    @KalynBrookeCo

    2 ай бұрын

    I can understand! It can take a lot of "extra" to find the right tools for ADHD, that's for sure.