4 ways to supercharge your Microsoft Outlook calendar

Ding, ding, ding: Up pops your warning that you have a meeting in five minutes. Well, dang, you think, why didn't this show up in the correct calendar? I need a little more time to prep! And does my team know about this meeting, too?

Ok, so I don't know what type of noise your Microsoft Outlook calendar makes when telling you it's time to hop into another meeting—but I do know that having an organized calendar is a must. 

With Zapier, you can turn your calendar into an organized and efficient super machine. That way, when you get a calendar notification, you don't have to panic. Instead, you can feel prepped and ready for whatever is coming. 

With our automatic workflows (called Zaps), you can supercharge your Microsoft Outlook calendar, so it effortlessly manages all of your meetings, reminders, and agendas. To get started with a Zap template—our pre-made workflows—just click on it, and we'll guide you through the set-up process. It only takes a few minutes. You can also read more about setting up Zaps here.

Effortlessly prep for future meetings and events

If you're like me, being overprepared is how you manage stress. But weekly schedules get busy, and it can feel nearly impossible to prepare for every single meeting. 

Fortunately, you can easily turn Microsoft Outlook calendar events into tasks in your task management tool of choice. This way, you'll be reminded to put in some time on meeting prep alongside the rest of your daily to-do list, rather than being constantly surprised by your calendar.

You can also set up a Zap to automatically create an agenda doc for new calendar events if you're in charge of running meetings.

Cross-post between your calendars

In this day and age, you're inevitably managing a ton of personal and family calendars—on top of your already busy work calendars. But no worries, you can set up automatic workflows to make sure all your calendars cross-post so you never have to miss a life or work event. 

The Zaps below are a few ways you can make sure your Microsoft Outlook calendar is up-to-date across all your different calendars. 

Automatically track your time

I always thought time tracking was for lawyers or hourly workers—but it's so much more than that. Time tracking your day helps you discover how long certain tasks take so you can better manage your time. 

You can create automatic workflows that sync your time-tracking app of choice with your calendar. For example, when a blocked-off time in your calendar begins, you can automatically start tracking your time. Then, you can figure out which projects take the most time and which tasks only need a 30-minute window.

Keep your team in the loop

We all know the phrase, "you're only as strong as your team." Keeping your team as informed and prepared as you are is vital for company success. But that can be easier said than done. 

To take some of the manual burdens off your plate, you can automatically send messages in your chat app of choice when there's an upcoming Microsoft Outlook calendar event. That way, no one misses a meeting.

Plus, you can keep projects running smoothly by connecting your project management tool and Microsoft Outlook calendar. The next time you or a teammate have a due date on a project task, automatically block time on your calendars so nothing slips through the cracks. 

Take your Microsoft Outlook calendar to the next level

With Zapier, you can easily manage your Microsoft Outlook calendar—that way, you never have to get a calendar notification and think "well, darn" again. 

This is just the start of all that you can do with Outlook and Zapier. Zapier supports thousands of apps, so you can automate almost any task at work. Start building your Zap now and see what you can create!

Related reading:

• Automate your calendar

• Add automation to your Outlook email inbox

• 4 scheduling automation workflows to make meetings easy