No matter what business you’re in, or what size it is, meetings are a part of doing business, right? Maybe they’re the “get to know you” type meetings so common for coaches (those complimentary calls that bring you business) or they’re meetings with clients.
Or maybe they’re meetings with a potential partner to grow your business.
No matter how you slice ‘n dice it, finding a time for a meeting can waste a lot of your precious time. Heaven help you if there are more than 2 people in the meeting. Egads! It can become impossible to find a meeting time that fits the schedules. Oh, then add in different time zones since we’re such a global business community these days.
Back and forth you go in email after email, looking for a time that fits everybody. Before you know if, you’ve forgotten what you were going to meet about.
That’s where an online or shared calendar can bring some sanity back to your world and get you back in the game of building your business and focusing on those things only you can do.
There are a bunch of them out there, with pros and cons for each one. Which one is best for you? It depends! (I know, uggggg, do I always have to answer like that?!)
Asking some questions before you settle on a way to eliminate that back and forth means asking some questions, like:
Before you make a final decision, take some time to answer these questions, THEN choose what is best for you NOW (things could change down the road, so it’s a good idea to answer the questions again once or twice a year).
My first shared calendar was Google Calendar (see below) which I started using when I hired a virtual assistant (VA). We both had google accounts and it was great. Loved it. Used it a lot. She could add things to my calendar, set up appointments, see what I had on my schedule (oh, and remind me of things like scheduling time to write blog posts and create products!).
I actually still use Google Calendar for keeping track of everything.
The thing is, it didn’t work so well for someone who wanted to see what was open (unless I wanted either a totally public calendar or to manually add someone to my Google Calendar).
I found and set up a tungle.me calendar OK (most folks who tried to use it weren’t thrilled)…until they decided to close down shop.
A very wise company, vCita, sent me an email telling me about their tool and all the features. They even gave me a free Pro level version for 3 months.
Smart marketing. They hooked me and I LOVE vCita. And so do those who want to set up a meeting with me (or at least compare my calendar to theirs). It is ever so much easier than tungle.me (sorry folks) and it has a lot more features. Plus it has a no-cost version and a PRO version. Unlike some of the free scheduling tools I’ve researched (and believe me, I’ve looked into a TON of them, this one has plenty of features in the no-cost version! Seriously.
Some of my fav features
As mentioned in my description of vCita, my first shared calendar was created using Google Calendar.
It fit my budget (free!) and let me create different calendars to share, or not, with my virtual assistant (VA).
And if you have (or create) a free Google account, you’ve got automatic access to it!).
At first I didn’t care for it much. I was using a tool called Chaos Intellect as an alternative to Outlook (which I dislike intensely). I was used to many of those features and it took me a while to get used to Google Calendar. Since I needed something to hook in with my Google account and something I could share more easily, I grudgingly moved to Google Calendar.
Now it’s all I use.
Some of my fav features
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I have been doing things the old fashioned way with a paper calendar and endless emails. Thanks for pointing out the benefits of using an online shared calendar, what a great idea! This will definitely free up more time for the important things! : D
There are times, many actually, when old fashioned tools are fantabulous. Those back and forth emails can get old tho…and it frees you up to do other things!
Holy smokes! This is chock full of terrific information. I will be saving this one to use and follow – thank you so much!!
Great to hear that Lisa! Let me know what makes sense and what you decide to follow!
WOW…this is one packed article! Thank you!
You’re most welcome Carl…hope you took some action items away you can use.
Thanks MamaRed! I’m just getting to the point where I need to be thinking in terms of scheduling and appointments, and this will help immensely.
You’re most welcome…there is that “tipping point” isn’t there? seeing things growing and shaping up the way you want them to!
Great insight here! I use Google calendar ..It runs my life and business smoothly :)
Thanks Anita…and glad to hear Google is keeping things running smooth as silk!
Thanks for listing the questions for making a wise selection for a shared calendar. At this point I have not been using a shared calendar but that day may come so it is good to have the input of someone with expertise.
You’re most welcome Pat…in my experience the questions are the important part!