Postcards from the Funny Farm

I was a Yahoo! Calendar user for years because it worked well for me. Now, I’ve learned that that there are many services out there doing it better. One in particular is Google. Every so often in my life I sit down and re-evaluate all my “tools” I am using for personal productivity.
As I have shared previously, I’ve been doing that with regard to personal finances and a calendar program. For personal finances, the jury is still out. For years my wife and I have used self-created Excel spreadsheets to get our bills paid each month. They work really well so it’s hard for me to find one to replace that system. When the verdict is in, you know I will report it here. The Google Calendar, on the other hand, is a slam dunk done deal. And it’s because a certain Google Desktop Gadget add-on makes all the difference. Let me explain:

In the long photo you see the Google Calendar “gadget” as it appears in my sidebar. This gives me reminders on my desktop and I can input “events” directly into my Google Calendar. To my knowledge it does not record “tasks” but an event can function the same as a task in my world.

You see how a click-able bar slides out allowing you to see the event and/or edit the event. (This was the main hook that got me) How many times do you get an email with a date in it or a phone call and you don’t have time to go to your calendar and fumble around the interface getting to add the event? With this gadget in one click to can enter the event and it is stored in your web calendar and reminder system instantly.

You can see how simple it is to enter an event right from your desktop. No need to bookmark the calendar page, just send it from here! While out in the field you can use the internet based calendar to enter events just as well.

Knowing I can enter something into my calendar through my desktop and also out in the field is what makes the Google Calendar Gadget my personal productivity choice for a web based calendar. Try it out and see what you think. If you’re already using it, let me know how and why you like it.