Microsoft recently launched Channel Calendar for Teams, an added calendar feature that can be integrated into any channel utilized by Microsoft Teams users. There have been queries from certain Calendar Pro users regarding the disparities between Microsoft Teams calendar, Calendar Pro, and Channel calendar. This article aims to address the inquiry by determining which calendar is suitable for each purpose.
Three Microsoft Teams calendar options for busy bees
1. Teams Calendar
Microsoft Teams is not only a chat app, but also a versatile app for improving remote work organization in corporate or educational settings. The app includes a basic calendar feature that allows users to manage their meetings and events. The calendar for Teams is designed to be simple and efficient, with a focus on functionality rather than excessive complexity.
In addition to being able to view your upcoming meetings in the Teams calendar, you have the ability to perform various actions on them. This includes creating new events or meetings, accepting or declining existing ones, and directly joining meetings from the calendar window. Additionally, you can send messages to participants if you are running late or need to share important information. The Teams calendar offers the main advantage of being easily accessed, navigated, and used for managing Teams meetings.
2. Calendar Pro
Due to various reasons, Calendar Pro has consistently achieved high rankings among the Microsoft Teams apps. It is extremely versatile and can cater to organizations of any size with diverse requirements. Whether it’s managing a large group or planning for a smaller group like an advertisement agency, Calendar Pro is an ideal choice.
Calendar Pro is highly popular among schools because of its ability to print out calendars, a feature that no other calendar in the Office 365 suite currently has integrated. With Calendar Pro, you can easily print your weekly schedule and display it on a wall or keep it on your desk. Additionally, an excellent feature of Calendar Pro is the option to add it to a private tab, allowing you to manage your personal appointments, such as after-class hours or courses, which will only be accessible to you.
3. Channel Calendar
Microsoft has introduced the Channel calendar application for Teams, which enhances syncing with colleagues. The improved calendar experience has been rolled out gradually and is now publicly available as of the end of January.
The Channel Calendar feature in Microsoft Teams allows users to add a calendar tab to each channel and share it with selected channel members. This tab displays scheduled meetings and events as a grid for the week or day. It ensures that all group activities are documented in one place, effectively preventing conflicts between different groups. Additionally, when a user schedules a new meeting in the channel, Microsoft Teams automatically sends a notification to the entire team. This notification appears in the activity feed and users also receive a separate notification. The Channel Calendar is particularly beneficial for individuals with busy schedules as it helps them organize meetings based on different topics and teams, ensuring they don’t confuse or miss important events.
How Calendar Apps Impact Productivity
1. Creates structure.
Routines aid in creating a more fulfilling and efficient life. Additionally, routines and schedules have been proven to be effective approaches for improving mental well-being. By following a routine, one can enhance sleep quality, alleviate anxiety, enhance cognitive abilities, and promote mental health.
Here are some examples that illustrate precisely what a calendar offers us.
- Create a morning ritual.
- In the morning, frogs taste best.
- Do soft tasks and exercise in the afternoons.
- While you are commuting, consider brainstorming.
- Spend your evenings relaxing.
By utilizing your calendar, you have the ability to schedule breaks and enjoyable activities for the purpose of relaxation.
2. Improves your time management.
Blocking out time in your day for specific tasks increases the likelihood that you will adhere to your schedule, as opposed to merely listing them. Parkinson’s Law suggests that work will expand to occupy the time allotted for its completion. Consequently, even a seemingly straightforward task can consume a significant portion of your day. In a short period, you may find yourself lagging behind.
By thinking step by step, you end up in a situation where you constantly feel overwhelmed with your work because you attempt to fit more tasks into an already hectic day. Additionally, it is likely that you will need to stay longer and work extra hours to complete all your tasks. As a result, you have less time available to unwind or socialize with loved ones after work.
3. Makes it easier to prioritize.
In a previous Calendar article, Deanna Ritchie suggests that despite having defined goals, you may not give as much attention to your priorities as you believe. However, there is a solution – you can conduct a self-audit to determine this.
Keeping track of the tasks completed and the time spent on each is important for documenting a week’s worth of work. Additionally, productivity apps such as Calendar have the capability to automate this tracking process by utilizing analytics. Deanna emphasizes the need to identify the particular distractions that hinder the achievement of goals in order to be successful.
4. Create a schedule based on your performance for the day.
Henry Ford introduced the five-day, forty-hour week in the early 1900s. Despite numerous changes in the business world over the past century, the 9-5 shift continues to be the prevailing norm.
If you are an entrepreneur, manager, or employee with a flexible schedule, it is advisable for you to comprehend your natural energy patterns. Why? Because to reach your maximum potential, you must do this daily.
1. Are there any ways to rephrase the text below without changing its meaning? 2. Can the text be expressed in a different way but with the same information? 3. Do any ideas come to mind when thinking about rephrasing the given text? 4. How can the text be rewritten step by step while ensuring the same meaning is conveyed? Given Text: “Please rephrase the text without altering its meaning, and do not add or remove any information.” Possible Revised Text: “In the process of rephrasing, ensure that the original meaning of the text is preserved, and avoid any addition or omission of information.”
- What time of day do you feel the most energetic?
- When it comes to working at your best, what helps you?
- Do you find yourself distracted most often during certain times of the day?
By applying these insights to your calendar, you will be able to discover patterns and tricks that will assist you in maximizing your day to its fullest potential.
5. The ability to set strategic alerts and reminders.
Setting strategic alerts and reminders can enhance productivity and aid in remembering crucial details. Some instances of this include:
- Defining the beginning and ending times of a time block
- Reminders for breaks
- Meditation, exercise, and journaling times
- Creating buffers between meetings
- On Sunday night, we’re planning the upcoming week
What’s even more favorable is that this information will be dispatched directly to your phone via alerts and notifications. Regardless of your location, you will receive these notifications to ensure you don’t overlook them.
6. Simplifies recurring events.
Max Palmer, in a previous Calendar article, writes that having meetings that repeat themselves can become messy, but reminders are crucial to avoid forgetting significant dates and information. He further suggests that using calendar software allows for easy setup of recurring appointments.
7. Increases productivity and communication with others.
If, for example, you fail to fulfill a customer obligation, it can have a negative impact on your business’s reputation. Additionally, it may impact your ability to hire and retain employees because nobody wants to work for a company that does not meet deadlines or cancels meetings.
Sharing a calendar is helpful for keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to scheduling meetings and allocating responsibilities. Additionally, the calendar is instantly updated whenever changes are made, thereby eliminating miscommunications or unnecessary exchanges.
With the assistance of a company-shared calendar, managers and colleagues can generally monitor meetings, assignments, events, and business lunches and dinners.
8. Avoids context switching.
Context shifting or context switching occurs when we transition from one task to another. This transition to a different task results in a change in our brain.
Despite the fact that we use computers extensively nowadays, contextual shifting can catch us off guard when we transition from one task to another and have consecutive meetings.
Your trusty calendar can assist you in avoiding context through the following methods:
- Optimize your focus time. People are most focused when they work 52 minutes straight and take a 17-minute break. In order for our brains to function properly, we work in hour-long spurts and then rest for about 20 minutes afterward. So, you can use your calendar to establish blocks of focus time, as well as breaks to recharge.
- Take real breaks. Speaking of breaks, make sure you make them count. Ideally, you should step away from your computer and then stretch, go for a walk, or eat a nutritious meal.
- Organize your to-do list strategically. There is nothing more stressful than zipping from one task to another. Instead, make transitioning to new projects easier by grouping similar tasks and tackling them in succession. For instance, blocking out specific times to check your inbox.
9. Make the most of your weekends.
Feeling anxious and depressed can be a normal response when you are lacking the things you find enjoyable in life. Consequently, it is important to ensure that these activities are included in your schedule. By planning an enjoyable weekend packed with fulfilling activities, you can enhance your mental well-being. Moreover, this will help you avoid wasting time, unless you deliberately schedule a two-hour scrolling session on Instagram.
Setting goals alone is unlikely to change your behavior, but if you decide on specific actions and commit to them, you can boost happiness, productivity, and reduce stress. By effectively scheduling these actions in a well-organized calendar, you can establish practical steps that will lead you to achieve long-term goals.
10. Makes you more accountable.
By utilizing calendars, you can effectively monitor and manage the entire span of your day, much like how accountants rely on receipts to track business expenditures. The question of “What have I achieved today?” no longer bothers you as you can refer to your calendar at any given moment and review the tasks you were engaged in.
What does this hold importance for?
If you want to maximize your day and achieve your goals, it is beneficial to examine your calendar for important insights on potential modifications that could enhance your productivity. Reflect upon the following inquiries:
- Which strategies worked and which did not?
- Is there anything you can do next week to improve your day-to-day organization?
- Did you spend your time and energy wisely on those tasks?
If you find that less critical tasks are taking up a significant portion of your schedule, consider removing or assigning them to others in order to focus on tasks that contribute to growth and profitability in an ideal work environment.
