How to Use an Online Calendar to Save Time and Money

Whether you work from home, like I do, or go to a traditional job each day, saving time is important. In fact, in many situations, when you save time, you save money by default.

For instance, when short on time at home, you may eat fast food or premade convenience foods. The cost of either of these options can add up quickly, not to mention the extra calories and fat.

But what if you could use an online calendar to create extra time each day? You could use some of the time to cook cheaper, healthier meals instead of eating expensive high calorie foods. As a result, you could lower your food budget, and your health would improve. You may also have lower health care bills, positively impacting your budget even more.

Do you see where I’m going with this? This is a single example of how you can better use extra time. How do you find the extra time? One way is to use an online calendar to save time and money.

1. Keep One Calendar

Sure, like many people, I keep a paper calendar hanging up in my home. I’m sure I’m not the only person who still does this. I simply find it convenient to keep one hanging on my kitchen bulletin board for quick reference.

However, for actual appointment and event scheduling, I use an online calendar. It serves me well to schedule both work and personal events on the same calendar.

It saves time because I’m not constantly switching back and forth between two or more calendars. Additionally, I never have to worry about scheduling errors or calendar corrections since everything is kept in one place.

2. Keep it Up to Date

With all of your calendar entries on one online calendar, you can update it anytime, anywhere. If you’re at the doctor’s office, make follow-up appointments with your phone using your calendar app. No more lost appointment cards. No more calling your physician’s office to ask, “When was that appointment again?”

3. Create Reminders

One of the great ways you can use an online calendar to save time and money is by creating reminders. In other words, you don’t just have to use it to schedule appointments, meetings, and other events.

I use my calendar app frequently to remind myself of tasks I need to do.  One example is a reminder to clean my Keurig every two months. Another is my reminder to change my furnace filters periodically.

The point is that you can use your calendar as a tool to manage your life and save time and money.

4. Set Up Recurring Events

Do you have certain tasks, appointments, or events that recur regularly, like exercise or getting fit? If so, set them up that way inside your calendar app to save time and money. The more time you can save by setting up recurring calendar events, the more productive you can be.

Getting more done in less time both at home and work allows you to use that time for other projects. At work it could result in a raise or simply the ability to make more money in less time.

5. Share Your Calendar

My family has a shared calendar so we can all see certain events, such as vacation time together. By using the same calendar app we save time notifying each other of important events or appointments.

6. Schedule Time Off

Believe it or not, even scheduling time off with your online calendar helps you to save time and money. Start by getting it on your calendar as soon as you know the dates you’ll be away.

Scheduling your time away early helps to avoid scheduling something else on a day you plan to be unavailable. Therefore, you won’t have to take the time to reschedule and, in some cases, notify other people of the change.

Having your vacation time blocked off early can help you stay on track and save for a vacation too. Furthermore, by scheduling early, you can get better airfare deals as well as room and board.

As you can see, there are lots of ways you can use an online calendar to save time and money. If you aren’t already using a calendar app, I encourage you to try one out. The great thing is, if you don’t like it, there are plenty of others to try until you find the right one for you.

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Are you currently using an online calendar? If not, what’s holding you back?