Why Your Calendar Should Be Your To-Do List (Task Manager)

Most to-do list apps do a poor job of integrating with your schedule. Even if they do show your calendar, you probably have to view it on a separate screen. Here's how you can turn your calendar app into the ultimate productivity tool.
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Scott Friesen is a productivity specialist and founder of Simpletivity training and consulting. He is also a prolific public speaker, workshop leader, and time management coach.
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[@carlosallanofficial]

Hi, great video! Changing my to do list to calendar one year ago changed my life. I'm using this in Outlook, with the Followup flag, and with some rules and quick steps I'm able even to replace my Inbox for the calendar view. I even made a video to share in my office to explain my colleges.

[@carlosallanofficial]

If your interested I can detail more the options I'm using

[@Simpletivity]

That's fantastic, Carlos. Nice job sharing your productivity tips and techniques with your colleagues.

[@Simpletivity]

I'd love to hear more about your setup and I'm sure others would as well.

[@carlosallanofficial]

In my setup I have: 1 - View Daily task list - Normal; 2 - Followup rule - After a message arrives, flag for followup this week (to not clutter the current day); 3 - Categories, to easily identify appointments in the calendar by colors; 4 - Scheduled folder to remove from Inbox all mails that are already in the calendar; 5 - Quick steps to easily archive or move mails to frequent folders without leaving Calendar view; Hope you give it a try and enjoy it.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing, Carlos. Quick steps are certainly one of the most underutilized features in Outlook. Glad to see you making use of them.

[@legslikewhoa]

I just merged my calendar blocking and tasks and it’s changed the game. It’s much more efficient to see everything laid out in one program.

[@rebekahjenkins1766]

Yes! I've been able to make Keep work for info that I need to be able to refer to occasionally but I could never quite get Tasks to work for me. I'm going to try this and see if it will work better since it will all be in the same program.

[@AdviserResources]

I've been doing what you suggest for several years already. It's definitely a good way to manage life! Another thing you might consider doing is to colour code your events and tasks. It helps you see at a glance how you're allocating your time to the various areas in your life.

[@AdviserResources]

Having read some of the comments down the list, I would like to share other tips that I hope will be helpful (I use Google calendar). I can actually add notes to the tasks. I can also use the repeat function for events that recur, whether daily, weekly or even 5-monthly or 12-yearly, as an example. For complex projects, I plan first on a piece of paper, break it down into smaller parts and then put both project and notes on the calendar as a task (for easy reference). I will then start calendaring some of the tasks that I need to do towards the completion of the project.

[@Simpletivity]

That's a great suggestion, Moses. Thanks for sharing!

[@atlbrysco6198]

This is something that I have been doing for several years, ever since attending a time management course from Franklin-Covey and how to stay on top of things. One additional recommendation that I would add to the video is that it is important in your calendar to actually SCHEDULE TIME FOR TASKS - putting tasks at the top as an "all day" item is perfectly fine, but when you treat them as ad hoc whenever you get time to complete them, we never seem to find that time. Add a block in your calendar to set aside time and specifically concentrate on tasks that you have in the task area frame so you do actually get them done and they don't have to be deferred. This time box can be iterative (say, from 10a to 12p every day) or can be an hour here or there in separate blocks that can be conveniently moved as required for other more prioritized needs. Also, to address some of the concerns from people below - this method is most definitely meant to be the "be all, end all" of task management for all people. I personally use Microsoft Outlook - tasks management in Outlook allows you to add attachments, links, notes, and other bits of information as well as track percentages of tasks completion, assignment to other people, and deferment status as required to a task. As such, it integrates well with other Office enterprise applications such as Project Manger (for that management piece), OneNote (for notes, bits of thoughts, mind mapping, etc.), Visio (for automated flow of tasks through SharePoint), etc. Tracking the task through Outlook simply reminds me of what needs to happen in what order and [vaguely] when it is due and where I am. No program will be the ultimate, but this is a good, high-level overview of tasks and a way to keep on top of things to ensure that you don't drop a ball anywhere. Thanks for a great video!

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks so much for sharing your feedback!

[@mygeekdom4414]

I am on a Mac. I have found a way to have both a reminder and a completion time for tasks. In the bas software supplied with the OS. For Reminders (the OS ToDo list) it does have a feature for This actually gives a notice banner. Set this a few days ahead of the due date. Then the software allows for drag and drop into events in Calendar. Both Reminders and Calendar have alarms

[@kovanovsky2233]

I have never thought of this simple system for some reason. I have abandoned my to-do list system dozens of time. I think this is the way to go since I use my calendar everyday. Thanks bro! You're awesome!

[@Simpletivity]

You are most welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@adrian_83am]

Best productivity advice ever. It changed my life, I saw this video may be 4 years ago and I started doing it inmediatly until today. Game changing

[@Simpletivity]

I'm so glad to hear that this method had worked out for you. Thanks for sharing your feedback. Here's to another 4 years!

[@christiandevos9468]

Hello Scott, I use my Google Calendar just like you do. I fill the gaps with to-do things that take some time (like writing a report) but for short messages and tasks I use Google Keep. Because it syncs with the Google Calendar. I only have 4 notes in Google Keep (private tasks, business tasks, tasks in the house...) (for other notes I always use Evernote). In a Google Keep note you can add a reminder and this reminder shows up in the Google Calendar. Very useful and nice looking. Now I have a task list in Google Keep that is synced in my Google Calendar. For me the best way to handle after trying a lot of To-Do apps.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing the details of your system, Christian. This looks like a great setup using the best of both apps!

[@JezLerman]

I discovered your videos two days ago. You're content has totally liberated the way I use my laptop, from running Google apps as local apps, to expertly using Google Docs with Keep, to - now - how to use my calendar as a To Do list. In 48-hours you've turned my computing world upside down and back to front. I'm so much more productive (I adopted your A-Z folder system, a revelation unto itself). I've learned so much from you, thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience. Your radio voice is sublime, even at 1.5 and 2x normal speed. Sitting here, stunned at the simplicity of your logic. I have at least three tasks and to do apps installed on every device I own, each fuller than the other one with overflowing tasks and never ending lists of to dos. Stunned to discover there's a better way to handle it all, and, even better, when I'm done reorganizing them in the calendar, I can go ahead and uninstall the task and to do apps. Stunned here. Thank you :-)

[@Simpletivity]

Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with me, Jeremy. I'm so glad to hear that you are finding my videos valuable!

[@amandawilliams8715]

agree with you!

[@jahayrac8636]

This is very clever. I actually started bullet journaling towards the end of last month. I'm allowing myself to start very slow and basic and it's been wonderful for helping me keep on task and be mindful of where to put my time and energy. If you're interested you can look for Ryder Carroll's Bullet Journal Method. I'm currently finishing up his book that he published just last year. As I've been using this in my day to day I've learned what I need to be productive. I realize that 1) I need block scheduling/ time boxing/ whatever people are calling it 2) I need to see time so that I know when to fit things in. I found your video really helpful because 3) it helps to keep the most important tasks of the day at the forefront of my mind. I used to find all day events annoying because I know it's happening I'm living it. I don't need to be reminded whenever I looked at my smartwatch or cell. But having the bullet journal helps me to keep track of things in the long term and your technique, coupled with my smartwatch, will help me to see the bigger picture while keeping me on task. Google now has a "goals" option. I'm curious to see how this works. If you decide to revisit this video I'm curious to see if it's worth your consideration. Thanks for this. ^_^

[@Simpletivity]

So glad that you enjoyed this video. Thanks so much for sharing your comments!

[@LegacyofPretty]

I ma just getting started with google calendar after running from digital calendars. With a husband and five kids I LOVE IT!! I can pull up my phone in the carpool lane. Alert myself if I need to pick up kids (with five I have forgotten a kid or two) and schedule design studio time. Your videos have helped to so much

[@superAweber]

"schedule design studio time"... That's what this is all for, I'm remembering, to schedule to create time for brain power work.

[@latonyasmith4460]

This is the best idea yet! I look at my calendar all day at work. I love using the all day option for tasks and it limits me to how many I should do that day. I love the time blocking feature where I can schedule tasks around my meeting and when I work best. I am so glad to be a new subscriber! Love your flow, visuals, voice tone and you get to the point. Looking forward to learning more tools from your videos.

[@Simpletivity]

Thank you so much for sharing your comments, LaTonya. I'm so glad to have you as a subscriber!

[@dagwould]

A great, practical approach. I do something similar in MS Outlook, on the basis that if it takes time or is related to a date, it has to have an execution period. My general appraoch there is to check my emails, and when they need time to do something, I make them a calendar event: they have a duration and a date. It needs to be in the calendar. Same in Google. If I can't get it done, I move the 'appointment with task'. Easy. When its done I put an '=' in front of the title. If there is a linked group in Outlook I 'tag' it with a classification for project, person/s, place/s. The only problem is I can't sequence them logically, although I can by time. I can also drop other Outlook items into the event, internet links, etc. Much of this can work in Google/Gmail as well, but not quite as 'richly'. Still Google can do much of this. Outlook tasks I use for the 'sometime/later' tasks, but I flag them with a start time, which is my review time, so I can review them before I need to have them done.

[@rogerxavier18]

Watching this video from 2017, it's striking how Google Calendar has improved. Great video.

[@Simpletivity]

It really has! Thanks for watching, Roger.

[@tmpatklk]

Google Calendar now give the option to choose Event or Task when you click on the all day section of a day. You can add notes if you feel a need for them. Thanks for the video. You did a good job.

[@Simpletivity]

Thomas Kilcoyne That's right. Whether you want to create a goal, a reminder, or an event, the choice is yours. Thanks for watching.

[@brianho6625]

I used to write task list and sorting into 4 priority grades with colour system using MS Excel. With your idea using Google Calendar as To Do List it further enhances the productive. It enable to Print my meeting + task each week. It is great! Thank you Task_Cat3 - Invoice Jimmy (a)IP02 (b) shoring design Task Cat1 = Urgent + Important (magenta - purple colour) Task Cat2 = Urgent + Not Important (yellow colour) Task Cat3 = No Urgent + Important (green colour) Task Cat4 = No Urgent + No Important (cyan - blue) Task Cat5 = Completed (grey colour)

[@Simpletivity]

Glad to hear this system is working so well for you, Brian. Thanks for sharing your examples.

[@jeffersonarmon2556]

I started using this method this week. Works great so far. I had never thought that the best to-do app could be actually a calendar.

[@Simpletivity]

All the best with your new setup, Jeff.

[@loripennington-joyner9386]

I have been using google calendar for approximately 10+ years. I never thought to use the all day events for task. Also I am so often on my iPhone using the google calendar. Thank you for sharing this video it made me realize I should use the desktop application more often.

[@Simpletivity]

I'm so glad that you found this useful, Lori. Thanks for watching and sharing your comments!

[@artmaltman]

Some critics are confusing project management with task management. You probably want to have a different mechanism for brainstorming the tasks for a project and prioritizing them by project. An outliner like the one in MS Word or Workflowy can be useful for that. The method recommended here in this video is, I believe, targeted only at identifying which tasks you plan to accomplish on which day. I think this is excellent idea.

[@oa2794]

This is such a great idea! Things like this inspire me, because I'm a mess and a natural procrastinator, but I'm also obsessed with organization, so your videos are just so helpful. Thank you for this! (I'm going to binge all these by the way.)

[@Simpletivity]

So glad you're enjoying these tips!

[@shining359]

Hi, i totally agree. I'm a med student. i use EVERY SINGLE DAY google calendar and google keep because they are synchronized with my phone. and they are awesome, because you can open google keep in google calendar!!! On google calendar i plan the study (how may page i must study that day and what subject), the exam's date, the internship (they are a lot and in different repartment) and the practice exercise. On google keep i write the "to do list": for example the exam have 12 big section; i create 12 notes "post it like" and in every note i write the subheading. I LOVE IT!!!!

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks so much for sharing your system. And all the best with your studies!

[@superAweber]

It looks like your calendar and to-do list are to guide your mind repeatedly to what's important. Nice system.

[@TroyInman]

Calendar combined with to-do list is a combo I've been searching for for years... it's how my brain thinks. I've tried multiple variations...using a calendar like in this video works at a basic level, especially when using color coding to indicate various types of tasks (errands, chores, work, etc). There are a couple of apps that I found do this very well. BusyCal for the Mac is calendar that natively lets you put to-dos on specifics days, but also offers functionality that this video example doesn't have - checkboxed to dos, incomplete tasks can carry forward to next day, custom schedule repeat tasks. Another great to/do app is called DayMap. That allows one to capture all sorts of various todos in various categories, and then simply drag them to a specific day. I think the killer app would be one that combines all the above of what both BusyCal does and how DayMap organizes tasks.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks so much for sharing these additional resources.

[@carriecarter08]

This is absolute best video on managing To-Do lists that I’ve ever seen! I’ve been struggling to find the perfect app to time-block and manage tasks. I watched your video on using Google calendar to time block and I gave it a go and it was perfect! But my To-Dos always just pile up in keep and I get sidetracked and don’t accomplish much. I tried this method last week and it was awesome!! I color code my calendar by the type of activity so I also color coded the “All Day” tasks and then knew which block of time I would complete which tasks and then just changed them to gray once it was completed. At the end of the day, I only had one item to move that wasn’t complete! Yay! I LOVE this method! Thank you!

[@Simpletivity]

I'm so glad to hear that, Carrie. Thanks for sharing your experience. All the best as you get the most out of your calendar!

[@XarahDax]

I've watched several of your videos. They are awesome. And I just found out that I can add another time zone. Very cool. The only thing I cannot figure out is how to make my day start at 7 or 8 am instead of 1 am

[@donsheehan5282]

Like the idea of using all day calendar items as your to do list! Makes a lot of sense.

[@Simpletivity]

It really does. I hope you find it helpful!

[@cattam2289]

This is a brilliant take on organizing your day. And great timing for me because I just retired and was looking for a way to organize my life without all the resources of a large company. Thank you so much for doing this video and I am going to subscribe to your channel

[@sherrytee2962]

Finally I feel like a genius, this is exactly what I do at work !! 👍 In addition, on recurring appointments such as Paperwork/catch up time, I mark the appointment as private, so i dont need to feel self conciese at work about my outstanding work lol, and have a running list of to-dos/don't forgets here I keep bits & pieces I need to get done in those larger chunks of time....I can delete a task once done but don't need to search for the list as it's recurring..within that if I want to see my progress I don't delete I just separate the upper list to 'needs to be complete'...and the lower half for pasteing the deleted items for a sense of accomplishment.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks so much for sharing, Sherry.

[@RichardSong20]

There are different layer of tasks and google calendar can manage those one time - short term important task. -->like project management It's also a good tool to visualize the tasks. --> like kanban. Personally I think when somebody is overloaded, the problem is not task management but they don't know what to do or focus, deep inside their mind. Even when they "prioritize" the tasks, they still can not focus and procrastinate.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing your feedback, Richard.

[@FabiodeSaldanha]

This is honestly life changing! Im not exaggerating. Released 5 years ago and soooo freaking valuable. Thank you so much"!

[@Simpletivity]

You are so very welcome, Fabio!

[@oneworld1563]

I find that the same thing can be accomplished by using the outlook task manager and then use the calendar week view which lets you display tasks below the appointments for each day. Allows you to combine the benefits of both systems.

[@Simpletivity]

Great tip for Outlook users. Thanks for sharing.

[@mr.natural6600]

Great idea, I did this before with outlook and actual tasks on my PC. Was the best way to mange to do list and project milestones. Spent a lot of time researching how to do this with outlook for Mac. This will be a great work around.

[@Simpletivity]

So glad you liked this, Carl. Thanks for watching!

[@andrewselbyphotography]

Coming from a sole proprietor I use my calendar to block out times for to-dos or marketing, then I have a running list on google tasks that I reorganize based on priority. I plan out my week every Sunday and adjust as needed during the week.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing your system and work-flow, Andrew.

[@laszlosuto]

I think the same, and moreover you can also insert these tasks into specific time slots, actually plan your day. In this way others who can see your calendar won't reserve that time slots and you can focus on the tasks to do at that times.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks so much for sharing! You are absolutely right about others who can see your calendar.

[@pwrmngr]

Hi Scott AWESOME video. I've been using my calendar now for 10+ years as my todo list and I love it, Your right it's so easy. I have it synced with my Google Calendar and no running around. Thanx :)

[@stevemcclure2879]

This is the old Franklin Day planner concept and love it!

[@Simpletivity]

So glad that you love this, Stephen. Thanks for sharing!

[@RapidSapid]

I already use my Calendar app with a MyReminders calendar. However, I didn't think of using the All Day section. Thanks - very helpful. I also have a calendar in which I can say what I ate. I am on a weight loss plan. It automatically stores the date and time. Yeah! I use my Apple Watch if not near my phone. I share this calendar with my nutritionist. I also add my daily blood pressure and pulse data there. I never really cared for Apple's Reminders app. A broadened concept of the Calendars app is great. It serves many purposes. My favorite iOS calendar app is Easy Calendar. It is uncluttered and very easy to use.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks so much for sharing your comments. And all the best as you work towards your goals!

[@Simpletivity]

@@voz6800 You are very welcome. Thanks for watching and sharing your comments!

[@Dave-FIREd]

Personally I think using Google calendar with all-day events is a terrible way to manage tasks/to-do's. There's no way to incorporate sub-lists, no way to have recurring tasks, no push alerts on mobile, no way to check-off a task as "done", no way to have a master list of someday items you can review and pick from for planning each day, etc. However, the combination of Reminders in Google Calendar, Inbox, and Keep seems to be a workable solution. Keep can also be used for the master / someday lists and daily or weekly review. And no matter where you create a reminder from (Keep, Inbox, Calendar), they all show up on your calendar. It's not perfect by any means, and I'm still trying to find my task-management sweet spot. So far, I'm really likeing MeisterList. I can't even remember how I found it, but it solves pretty much all the shortcomings of other solutions I've tried.

[@ganjoy007]

I have tried so many apps and integrations and nothing accomplishes this like MS outlook. It takes care of all the pitfalls you mentioned in the google calendar way. How I wish outlook had a great mobile app and a better software for mac!

[@Stan_sprinkle]

I partially agree. However, I like this calendar idea anyway, at least for my work. For a "sublist", you certainly could add a bullet point list to the description of the calendar item. For "someday" items, I'd probably put those in a separate todo app, or put them in one calendar item called "someday", and every week just move it to the end of the week, review it weekly and pull out any tasks I think I can do that week. For me, more important the the bells and whistles of a todo app, a weekly review process is far more important. If you're consistently reviewing and organizing these events, you shouldn't really need reminders. Again, I'm thinking of this specifically "for work". For my personal todos, I'd rather use an app with reminders, specifically Siri or Google Assistant for things like, "remind me at 5pm tomorrow to get AAA batteries on the way home"

[@nosskopajtas]

ganjoy007 and location based reminders

[@تلميذالغابة]

Wunderlist is a great to-do list app.

[@shining359]

everything you writed you can do it on google calendar! and there is an extension called google keep, that is like a note app.

[@NenadMaljkovic]

I was using e-calendar since Lotus Organiser times and when I switched to Gmail (10 years ago or so) I started using calendar for meetings and time-bound tasks immediately. I've tried several to-do apps and approaches, all turned out to be simply overwhelming to manage. I guess the main issue for me was that I was using calendar as my attention focusing tool and to-do lists felt like distraction. I wanted something that works IN my calendar. Ideally, that would work like to-do time slot carried forward in real time (like that red line in calendar that represents moment of now). I could not find anything like that so I just started to use calendar time slots and descriptions for tasks, shuffling those around, and that felt fine. However, your approach learned me some new tricks that I'm going to implement, thank you! :)

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing your journey to finding the best to-do list solution for you. Looking forward to hearing more about what you discover as you make tweaks to your system.

[@marshallcapps624]

I’ve used GQueues for probably seven or eight years as an upgrade from a simple Excel spreadsheet with multiple tabs. Most other to do apps have started to catch up with many things that I’ve had for years. Basically my workflow: I will dictate into my phone the goal or task. . That will then will land in my inbox to be sorted, tagged and dated. It will then go into my Google calendar and then like the video I can move them around when the task is complete and I check it off of the cheek use platform it also shows it’s been deleted in my calendar. GQueues allows for integration with teams although I’ve never used it in that format. It’s been an indispensable software program and I doubt I would be able to be as efficient as I am without it

[@malcolmstephenson556]

I appreciate that this strategy was shared for consideration. What I take away is that "Al Day Events" feature is just another form of To-Do listing. A less efficient To Do list at that. How do you review all of your task using the Calendar? Where do task reside that are in initial stage when a task requirement is identified but not yet scheduled? From my perspective, the Calendar strategy would work for a small number of tasks which have limited number of execution steps. But, falls short of capability to manage large number of tasks of different type tasks that a good task manager app provides solutions for.

[@VixSy333]

This suggestion never made sense before now. Thank you!

[@Simpletivity]

You're welcome!

[@PAULINCE08]

FYI you can integrate todoist with google calendar so tasks from todoist show up on google calendar and you can move them around as you have described here. Very helpful in organising my day to day activities around meetings etc

[@FabiodeSaldanha]

but why would you still use todoist?

[@debbr2304]

I just changed my paper bujo calendar to this exact format 4 weeks ago. I found this video because I started adding my todo's to my outlook calendar yesterday. I already get a morning text with my agenda and want to know firs thing what my todo's are too. Love the all day feature I already do this in Google. Now I'm going to implement in outlook!

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks so much for sharing your journey, Debb. All the best with your setup!

[@Simpletivity]

@Thomas Graham Your request couldn't be more timely, Thomas. Stay tuned for this week's new video!

[@LeeRobottom]

I use the Google Calendar Reminders for my To-Do's. And I use Google Keep for my notes. The integration between them suits my job profile

[@Simpletivity]

Great combination. Thanks for sharing!

[@brandimarino9042]

Is there a way to make that To-Do List and Reminders not viewable to everyone on your domain?

[@johnmaclean9249]

You Sir, have won the internet!

[@anthonyfoister23]

I've struggled for sometime now in trying to figure out a positive work flow using the least amount of apps possible. I'm a BIG proponent of Todoist as a premium user and a heavy Google apps user. But I'm so tired of working out of Todoist and then switching over to Google Calendar to make sure I haven't forgotten anything or missed an event. I like how Scott stresses how there must be a visual correlation between tasks/todo's/reminders and calendar events so that you can be the most productive with your time and schedule. I'm going to give it a shot and move all my Todoist tasks, both recurring and one time to do's, over to Reminders w/Google Calendar. I don't really like how Calendar combines reminders into one line if it's an all day task or if they are scheduled for the same time, but I do like to swipe to check them off on mobile/tablet and I think being able to manage these reminders using Calendar and Inbox by Gmail will prove to be the better choice. Thanks Scott!

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing, Anthony. Looking forward to hearing how your new setup goes. All the best with a few less apps!

[@MartinTheBroker]

Anthony have you tried G Queues? A task scheduler withing gmail

[@mindlessonion]

The best todo-list-making video I've ever seen. Thank you!

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks, Eky! I'm so glad you liked this one.

[@Ineedyouhereful]

i am searching videos about using google calender in simplest way, i’m glad i found this video...i am currently taking german class and i want to make my days more productive and can manage my time while learning and be able to remind me of what topic i will focus on... Danke sehr!!!!

[@Simpletivity]

So glad that you enjoyed this video, Rose. Thanks for watching!

[@amandawilliams8715]

I decided to watch all your videos from the beginning

[@Simpletivity]

I hope you enjoy the journey through time! Let me know what you think along the way.

[@Proximian]

I could not disagree more. Placing tasks on days they are not officially due on those days will create a disconnect with actual task that have real due dates. You will be forced to move task from one day to the next because you could not get them done on the day they were listed. That's because many of your tasks were actually due on any particular day. You cant choose tasks to work on based on your current mental energy or available time. There is no granularity for your tasks. You can't easily filter tasks by person or context. Now you have your mind dump on a different app or medium which defeats the purpose of what you are doing here. You can't set priorities. You can't assign tasks easily to others. etc.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing your comments, Damian.

[@Proximian]

I was in a rush when I made my comment so I forgot to mention something important. Just because something does not work for me, it does not mean it will not work for you. So we can have our own perspectives but there is no one method or solution that works for everyone. Your work environment may be completely different than mine and the calendar approach may work perfectly for what you do and how you do it. Some on this thread have obviously found your method works for them and that is what matters in the end.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for the footnote, Damian. I really appreciate your feedback.

[@CarolinaBury]

One of best things for me in "get things done" was stop using calendar to tasks that is not fixed on that day.

[@MK-ih6wp]

@@Proximian I agree e Damian but thought this was a great video, its so helpful to hear how other people organize their lives!

[@mandododo2]

To me what’s working best is to use Trello to organize all my tasks by the month or by categories. Then use Planyway calendar (paid version) for organizing all my Trello cards around the weeks/days/months. And having it synchronized with Google calendar. It’s extremely easy to add tasks and to program things from Trello with Planyway.

[@Simpletivity]

That sounds like a great setup, Patricia. Thanks for sharing!

[@zg3186]

Great Idea!! My calendar was a mess! Thank You!!!

[@Simpletivity]

You are so welcome!

[@wandahearing5379]

start by figuring the: 5 Seasons... as Blocks then there is: Personal/Professional Work (Personal Projects Time Notes, Work Schedule, Business Project Outlines, and Work Events) next is always: Service/Payment Schedules (Home, Utilities, Vehicle/Commuter Fees, and Maintenance Scheduling) but the first REAL Calendar to create is the: Diet/Exercise & Routine Appointments (specific caloric intake days and fasting, training schedule, health and wellness visits, family events, and even personal excursions) dividing the Calendars up by: Work Appointment Schedule can usually be combined on your device or laptop to see any trouble spots or open slots

[@mahmoud-sabri]

Thank you, I'm already using It As a calendar and todo list in the same time.🥰

[@davidbaiao468]

I use google keep because it's so simple and at the same time so advanced... Also doesn't miss a single notification. Google Calendar and Outook is a nighmare to notify to many events. I use my alarm clock as a plan b

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing

[@rghhhh]

I really like this. One thing however, what do you do with tasks that are things you want to do but aren't necessarily important right now and/or you don't have time for, so things you'll do 'someday' that don't have a time yet?

[@aaronkammerman6328]

Game changer for me. Thank you! Simply Brilliant.

[@Simpletivity]

You are very welcome, Aaron. All the best with creating your ideal system!

[@daurys07]

I think this is great! Your video was amazing! I ran into one issue: prioritization. These issues arise because I think there is a missing step: planning out my day the night before and turning my tasks into a schedule or just using separate calendars with separate colors. Also, a "notes" calendar where i can just write down my thoughts has been a dream! Thank you for the great vid! What do you think about task + calendar apps like Sunsama?

[@DenHenson]

Good tips. Best calendar/to do list video I’ve seen.

[@Simpletivity]

So glad that you think so, Dennis.

[@pictorfauzan1444]

Seeing it after 4 years of posting. I was originally searching about Todoist and was experimenting with Todoist, Microsoft Todo and other notes apps to use a Todo list. But your video made lot of sense. Keeping meetings and Todo in calender will give lot of clarity for sure. What I am not able to figure out is if I can use calender to keep tasks differentiated for my To-do and my team’s To-do which I want to track being team manager. Tried to assign category but it seems Outlook mobile app do not have that option.

[@j.evilsizor]

The only problem with this method is that you risk forgetting tasks that get left on the previous days' events (tasks not moved forward). This problem is solved if you use @GQueues, a task-management app that populates your calendar. So to-do list OR calendar populating app, all in one. The app interface (GQs) is also WAY friendly (and quicker) to create tasks on the fly, vs. creating calendar events.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing, Josh.

[@taukirsyed1769]

I used GTD with Google tasks and calender. It's working wonders for me.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing!

[@SuperDraupnir]

Gtd?

[@taukirsyed1769]

@@SuperDraupnir It's getting things done by David Allen

[@xsite23]

This is also the way I am working with the calender. I think to have an overall overview about what is going on and what to do‘s I have, in one place makes the calender the right choice. One improvement for your recommendation ist to combine it with time boxing. Meaning for a gross plan, by starting the week or during the week / month to place the to do‘s as a all day event is perfect to have them all on the radar. Close to the day I would recommend to switch from a all day event to a certain time box where you actually will do this tasks. 2 arguments why, first it shows others that you are already blocked for meetings, etc. second you have a dedicated time where you will fulfill and close the task! What do you think about?

[@ChristinaHills]

I am already doing what you suggested. So nice to hear it confirmed. But are you also using the google tasks feature ?

[@sethpeacock9149]

How would you suggest checking off tasks?

[@Simpletivity]

2 methods that you may want to consider: 1) Use a special character (such as ~) to put in front of the title. This will sort these tasks together. 2) Create a separate calendar called Completed. When the task is done, you can move it to that calendar. The additional benefit of this method is that you can hide this calendar. I hope that helps!

[@DrGBhas]

Pragmatic productivity tips . Thanks

[@tonyford5551]

How do you get the extra line of boxes above your calendar to put your to do lists into? Its not on my screen - using a PC & windows

[@jasonhammerle3582]

Thank you so much for this, I've been searching for a way to do exactly this for the longest time now! I'm so glad i found this video! really really helpful! Thank you sir!!!!

[@Simpletivity]

You are most welcome, Jason. Thanks for watching!

[@MacAutomationTips]

Hi just discovered your channel. While I don't want to use my calendar as a to-do list, I recently switched from ToDoist to Informant 5 because it integrates a calendar and a task manager. The tasks can still be managed and viewed in protects, but they can also be managed and viewed in a calendar view, and most importantly a spatial week view that allows me to move tasks around easily when I need to. But it's great to see your video proposing this alternative to-do manager, because I agree we shouldn't have to switch apps for these purposes. I now will probably stop using Fantastical because of the calendar feature in Informant 5.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for watching and sharing your experience with Informant 5. I'm so glad to hear that you've found a solution that works well and reduces app-switching.

[@markkwong9512]

This video doesn't apply anymore, if you use Fantastical, it overlays Todo, and Calendar events, get best of both worlds. Problem with this video is that if you miss you todo's say for a week, you could lose track of it, or you have to manually move them to next day or some where else. With Todo, if you miss it, you still can easily see a List of things all in one place where you've missed it.

[@piggy8435]

Use to do this, but I started using Microsoft To-Do combined with OneNote and Outlook instead. I use Microsoft To-Do not really as a to-do list, but more as a "task reminders" list. Everything is either due today or has a specific reminder time associated with it. I don't write things like "do project x" on my To-Do list. Instead, I'd write "schedule time to research step 1 of project x" or "bring up xyz at meeting tomorrow at 4pm". I loosely follow Dave Crenshaw's advice on gathering points.

[@s.walden216]

OMG! brilliant! Changing now... Thank you!

[@phoebetan8029]

Simply love the yofo list idea and blocking calender to manage my time

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing, Phoebe.

[@EpicMishap]

I really needed this. Keep up the amazing work. Thank you for sharing, Scott

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks so much, Alex. I really appreciate your support!

[@pauls7056]

Great video, thanks for posting. I experimented with Trello and Asana. I've stacks of good things to say about both. But, as your video pointed out, sometimes the list systems can just start to be overwhelming. So I think I'll go back to the calendar and your system shows how to make more effective use of it than I use to. Thanks again.

[@Simpletivity]

You are very welcome, Paul. Thanks for sharing!

[@sincerusone]

I have been trying to get more in depth with Trello, but this is appealing and I think I will give it a try for ease in my day.

[@Simpletivity]

All the best as you discover what works for you, Ian.

[@dfwboxingisback9173]

You should discuss Shortcuts (formerly Workflow) or variants thereof. Essentially, the ability to leverage services to define your own workflow. what I feel is the future of Personal Productivity Management and that is a true SOA (Service-Oriented-Architecture) I have 10-15 apps all talking to each other, in that I might add a task in one, edit it in another, execute views in another, feed that in to another system for a scorecard, etc. In other words. the IOS is merely an app. The apps are merely "pages" or "forms" in that app. I believe that in the next 10 years, the worlkflow will be to create your workflow. Apps like shortcuts and Launch Center Pro (the new one) are becoming wildly successful off power-users, which means companies will invest in enhancing and simplifying the workflow, etc. I am not a task management coach or anything, instead just a consumer or the disciplines, and have worked in GTD-based software for 20 years now, including the original Palm back in the day.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@michaelpupo2708]

Great video! But Google Calendar is a bit different now. Are you still using it the way you showed here? Maybe it's a good idea to make a new video showing us how you are using the Google Calendar new features. I think many people would be really happy with a 2019 version of this video. Thank you very much for sharing such a great tip, Scott!

[@cesarpadillaahumada4515]

x2

[@Simpletivity]

Great suggestion, Michael. I certainly consider this for the new year!

[@IanM2698]

Great stuff productivity apps all look like your answers but I find them too overwhelming and too many actions and going backwards and forwards from Calendars and apps and also like you said the list get pushed to the next day making the start of your day more stressful and overwhelming!

[@legorreto]

Great Tips, THANKS!

[@Simpletivity]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andrewtomp6189]

todoist + google calendar (integrates your todo list and google calendar) - highly recommended

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing.

[@roywilmhoff]

I do use the calendar as a todo list already. One problem I have is when I am not able to get the task done it can get skipped. Maybe one of my daily todos should be to review yesterdays lol

[@Simpletivity]

Absolutely. This system works best when you make sure to do a review at the end of each day. Thanks for sharing, Roy.

[@pearyo7085]

This is super useful in online class thx

[@Simpletivity]

Glad to hear that!

[@JaneStoller]

This is one of my biggest tips I always put in my videos. Not to use email as a to do list!!

[@GregDeBrun]

Good video and I agree the task manager apps get overly complicated. I am using Google's Inbox reminders for single and recurring tasks, and Google Keep for projects with each note given a reminder. Both of these types of reminders become visible on my Google Calendar. Thanks for sharing.

[@Simpletivity]

Great setup, Greg. Thanks for sharing!

[@ADCMotionPictures]

Hi! This is a channel from India. The video was very helpful. We managed to grow our channel very well but we were procrastinating alot. You can see we have not uploaded any video from 6 months. We were procrastination because of health issue, our laziness, and we only complained and complained about situation rather than making videos. Now finally we have decided to be back on KZbin from January and we will be consistent now. We will update you soon about the result we got from this video. Thank you :)

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for watching and all the best as you continue your KZbin journey!

[@brrruski8436]

Great idea! However I wonder how you gonna manage big tasks that need long term scheduling and tracking?

[@Simpletivity]

Project management apps are still vital for these types of longer term tasks. But you can still add your 'next step' here on your calendar so they don't get buried somewhere else!

[@azaliadevelopment4522]

Awesome tips to be more productive and efficient. I enjoy listen to your voice and follow along your screen sharing. Thank you for making these available to us. With my sincere gratitude to you. By the way, also like your channel name: Simpletivity. What a great name!!!!

[@Simpletivity]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. I really appreciate hearing it (and so glad you like the name)!

[@efd8506]

Hi Scott - this was very helpful. I do have 1 question if you can answer for me. office is switching to mac so I will be syncing my ical and google calender's, how will using this method affect my ical? will it create the "to do" in the same way, a list on the top of the day?

[@Simpletivity]

That's correct. An all day event in one should carry over seamlessly to the other.

[@SaudenaRotina]

Ok, I'll try to learn how to use Google calendar again :/

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for watching! All the best as you get to know this app.

[@anush7386]

try this like u are ubgrading your self with given time that it takes

[@dsfdotnet]

I will have to give this a try.

[@randy4443]

Do you use google keep with calendar?

[@annelouise99]

I've always used my calendar as my to-do list but wish GCal had the ability to drag that to-do item down into a timed event instead of editing it to assign a time. Otherwise, it really keeps me on track.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with Google Calendar. I too wish that you could drag these all day events into a specific time!

[@Irene-gq4jr]

I keep my work and my personal life very separate electronically, using Outlook at work and Google Calendar at home. The small team I'm in all share their Outlook calendars and my Google Calendar is shared with my fiancé, in the latter we both add solo or joint events so we can check if we're already committed before agreeing to something else. I can create a private appointment (say a dentist visit during work hours) in Outlook, but can't see a way of 'hiding' tasks in my personal calendar and would rather not spam my good man with a bunch of tasks that are irrelevant to him, albeit it's nothing I mind him seeing. However life can be complicated enough as it is, so I wouldn't even think to use a separate app for this although I could use the calendar from my alternative email account that I use for official matters.

[@Simpletivity]

Thanks for sharing, Irene. I agree that keeping your work and personal calendars separate is a great way to increase your focus (and not get distracted by the other).

[@Irene-gq4jr]

@@Simpletivity Your video sparked my curiosity so I looked into using my gmx webmail account for managing this separately. I have to buy an app for a whole £1.99 to do this, however it's not the small fee that bothers me, it's more that I am not big on punching my financial details into the internet. I guess I either set up an alternative gmail account and link it in or my guy is going to get spammed after all ;-)

[@adelsingeri2434]

I have watched your video for many times . thank you for shaaaring your knowledge , If you give more examples .

[@Simpletivity]

Thank you, I will

[@anush7386]

yes this is really great try this method for a weeek

[@Simpletivity]

Keep it up

[@scottcoventry9718]

So many dealbreakers for me. Wish it was this easy. Example. You have a Task/Event for today. But then you decide its best to later sometime. Maybe it's something you would like to do but really not demanding of a date. What do you do with this item? You have to delete it or move to some weird date in the the future. I don't get people who only have 3-7 tasks a day. I run a company and have family. I really do have 10-20 items a day for all my areas of life I need to accomplish. You're system doesn't allow for this. I would be stressed out more if I just picked my top 5 tasks and deleted the rest. I haven't found an App that works for me so I'm paper based. I write down all my calendar items and then my 20-30 tasks for day. Then I re-order/write them again in the order I want to deal/complete them. A what and when list. What don't Task Managers allow for tasks and appts together? I don't get it. Not only that but allow you to drag tasks between calendar items if there is a window. My search continues. I"m amazed still to this day how people only have 2-7 tasks a day. Seems so unrealistic. Where do they put all the wish, want, someday, maybe, later, on hold, project lists, etc? Thanks for video anyway. Had hopes it would help me.

[@sincerusone]

Trello is a super app

[@ryanking2155]

Thanks for the video, man. Appreciate it, as I've been sniffing around this idea for a while. I have a question - how to you mark tasks as complete? Or how do you achieve the same visual effect? I know you can use Google Tasks with Google Calendar and cross things off, but using iCal or even all-day event in Google Calendar, presumably your only choices are to either delete the event when run (no record) or keep tasks there even when done (no visualization). Unless I've missed something, which way do you lean and why? Thanks!

[@MWKTravelServices]

Receive a reply on this yet? Curious.

[@ryanking2155]

@@MWKTravelServices no, sir 😔

[@drpepper23flavors]

You could try adding the ✅ emoji to completed tasks.

[@justinquilon1]

Great video, pocket informant can combine to do list and calendar

[@gianluigiredolfini6154]

Will try to follow your advise and let you know if it works for me thanks

[@a.jtherobot7684]

I have been using calendar this way and it works well. But I've seen a problem seems no KZbin videos addressed this. Sometimes a task can not be done at one sitting, especially the ones depends on others (I hate working with other people, rather do all of the work myself but I'm working in a department that's impossible). When a taskA I have done everything could be done for now, and need to revisit this task to continue making progress after waiting on someone else answer/provide information. So because I don't know when others going to get back to me, I can't put the reminder task on my calendar at a certain day/time in the future. And these tasks do have deadlines that people I'm waiting on may or may not remember/aware. I tried to put on calendar check back regularly (like making it a weekly repeat event to remind me) but it doesn't work as well when there are more than 3 of these tasks on-going (both at work and personal) it become difficult to manage. I know google calendar reminder would move on from a day to the next until "mark as done" but the disadvantage is they "stack" instead of "list all" as all day events. But if I don't put it anywhere it is so easy to forget to follow up. Any good solutions or advice?