My calendar basically dictates how I spend each and every moment of my work day. It helps me prioritize my tasks, prepare for meetings, and lets me know when I have downtime to get specific things done. 

But none of that is possible—or as streamlined—without the help of automation. From cross-posting events to my different calendars (I have several) to blocking out time in my calendar for specific projects, Zapier helps me stay on top of my schedule. 

With Zaps—our word for Zapier's automated workflows—you can automatically connect your calendar tool to your other apps (think spreadsheets or project management tools). Here are some of the best ways to do that. 

Table of contents:

• Cross-post events across multiple calendars

• Create events in bulk from spreadsheets

• Use AI to help prioritize your day

• Block out time for your projects and tasks

• Streamline your customer appointments

Cross-post events across multiple calendars

Are you a Google Calendar user forced to use Outlook at work? Or does your company use multiple calendars for different types of events?  

If you need a way to keep your meetings on the same page (literally), you can use these Zaps to cross-post new events automatically. 

With automation, you can display your appointments, meetings, and events across your calendars of choice. No more juggling multiple schedules or letting a meeting slip through the cracks. 

Create events in bulk from spreadsheets

If you regularly create events in bulk (for events planning or for managing customer appointments), you know what a hassle it is to do manually—especially if you're copy-pasting event info from a database tool like Google Sheets or Airtable. 

These Zaps will automatically create calendar events every time a new row is added to Google Sheets or Airtable. That way, you can save yourself the time and potential for human error. 

Use AI to help prioritize your day

Keeping track of important events throughout the day while your meeting requests pile up can easily lead to you being unprepared. Whether you need help prioritizing your tasks or you'd like to receive detailed event reminders, AI tools can help you stay on top of your day. 

These Zaps will pull new calendar events, analyze them, and then send you AI-generated reminders with extra context to help you prepare and prioritize your workload.  

Block out time for your projects and tasks

Your calendar isn't just for managing meetings with other people. You might want to block out time on your calendar so you can freely work on specific tasks or projects—without getting bombarded with messages from your teammates. 

Any time a new project or task gets added to your project management tool, you can set up a Zap that will automatically create an event in your calendar. Whether you need that time to focus or you just want it to show up on your schedule, these Zaps will do the heavy lifting for you. 

You can also flip this workflow on its head and create projects or tasks when a new event is added to your calendar. That can be handy if you need to create a document ahead of a meeting, for example, or if you need to catch up on some project-specific reading beforehand. 

Streamline your customer appointments

If you work in customer service or have a role where you spend a lot of time speaking with leads, it's likely that you use a scheduling app like Calendly so folks can easily book time with you. Alternatively, your leads might request a meeting through a form app like Google Forms or Typeform. 

The problem, of course, is when your work calendar doesn't reflect the time you'll be busy. Using automation to add appointments directly to your work calendar means your whole team will know when you're unavailable—and double-booking will be a thing of the past.  

Supercharge the way you manage your time

These are just a few of the many ways Zapier users are connecting their calendars with other applications. You can automate almost any workflow you can imagine. Click here to get started building a Zap.

This article was originally published in November 2019, written by Justin Pot. It was most recently updated in February 2024 by Elena Alston.