A Guide to Today’s Top Calendar + Scheduling Apps

The way we manage our daily lives has been revolutionized by the leaps in technology. Remember the days of desks drowning in paper and pockets struggling to contain bulky personal planners? Thanks to the dawn of personal computers and handheld devices, those days are long gone. These innovations brought us the electronic calendar, a revolutionary tool that redefined organization. 

Step into the 1990s, a pivotal era when Microsoft Outlook emerged as the major player. The powerhouse application seamlessly integrated email, contacts, and calendaring, forever altering the landscape of office life. But it was more than a tool for marking appointments; it introduced the ability to set reminders, create recurring events, and share these with others in a manner that was simply out of reach before. 

Today, the evolution continues with modern calendar scheduling apps, which have made staying organized not just a goal but a reality, with efficiency just a tap away. Join us as we dive into the world of modern calendar scheduling apps, which are revolutionizing our approach to time management in the digital era. 

Calendly 

Calendly is a scheduling software that simplifies the process of arranging meetings and appointments for businesses, teams, and individuals. It eliminates the need for a back-and-forth conversation to find a suitable time to meet by allowing individuals to view your availability and directly book a time slot that works for both parties through its platform. 

Calendly offers a unique scheduling and routing feature that enables businesses to embed a scheduling page and route forms on their website, making it easier for customers to schedule appointments and reducing the likelihood of them dropping off. By collecting information from website visitors, Calendly can direct them to the appropriate place where their requests can be fulfilled. This embedded feature eliminates the need to manually process each request, saving businesses time and effort. Calendly has a free version, but it has limitations. Users can opt for paid plans to access more features. 

USP: Intuitive interface, diverse scheduling options and seamless integration with multiple applications. 

Fantastical 

Available exclusively on the Apple platform, Fantastical is a user-friendly calendar app that allows users to create and manage tasks and events efficiently. What sets it apart is its unique natural language feature. This allows you to enter events just by straightforwardly typing your plans. For instance, if you’re planning a dentist appointment on Friday at 10 a.m., simply typing this into the app will automatically prompt it to populate the relevant fields with the correct information. Additionally, you can easily create tasks by typing commands like “Todo Buy groceries tomorrow” or “Todo Finish presentation by Friday.” Ignore the bad grammar.

Fantastical also supports seamless integration with multiple calendars, which makes it easy for users to switch calendars on or off as per their requirements. This feature is particularly useful for merging similar events and handling invitations all in one place. You can dive into the world of Fantastical for free, but for those who crave the full suite of life-organizing features, the premium version is available for just £2.67 a month. 

USP: Natural language scheduling and clean interface. 

Notion Calendar 

Notion, a widely used task and project management platform, has introduced its new calendar app. It offers extensive options for scheduling time, like Google Calendar and Apple Calendar. 

What makes it particularly appealing for those who already incorporate Notion into their team workflows is the ability to link Notion documents directly to calendar events. This feature ensures all participants are well-prepared and on the same wavelength before a meeting begins. Not only does the Notion Calendar aid in organizing your daily schedule, but it also enables you to communicate your availability to others.  

It integrates also seamlessly with other platforms like Google Calendar, Google Meet, Zoom, Arc, and several others. The app is free for individual users and is accessible on desktop for Windows and Mac (both Intel and Apple Silicon) as well as on iPhones through the Apple App Store. However, Android users might have to wait for some time before it becomes available. 

USP: Seamless integration with multiple platforms and availability of a free version 

Other popular contenders in the race 

In addition to the apps mentioned earlier, there are several other popular calendar scheduling apps available in the market. The most common ones include Google Calendar, Monday.com, SimplyBook, ClickUp and many more. Each of these apps has its own features and benefits, and depending on your specific scheduling needs, you can choose the one that suits you best. 

There are also a few simple tips you can follow to help you manage your schedule more effectively on your calendar:  

Use Colour Coding: Assign different colours to different activities or priorities. This visual cue helps you quickly identify what type of activities you have planned briefly.  

Set Aside Time for Planning: Dedicate time each week to plan the week ahead. This could be a Sunday evening or a Friday afternoon. Use this time to assess priorities and allocate time slots for them.  

Incorporate Time Blocks: Instead of filling your calendar with back-to-back meetings, block out time for focused work, breaks, and personal time. This ensures you’re not overbooking yourself and allows deep work sessions. 

Leverage Recurring Events: For tasks or activities that happen at the same time every week or month, set them as recurring events. This saves time and ensures you don’t forget them. 5. 

Utilize Reminders and Notifications: Set reminders for important tasks and deadlines. Adjust the notification timings based on each task’s importance and preparation time.  

Integrate with Other Apps: If you use other productivity tools or apps, integrate them with your calendar. Many calendar apps allow integration with apps like Slack, email, and project management tools, making it easier to keep track of deadlines and meetings. Implementing these tips can help you manage your schedule more effectively and make the most out of your calendar. 

Distilled 

Whether you’re balancing personal tasks or coordinating a team, these apps are your secret weapon to staying ahead of the game. Here’s our guide to top apps that actually meet their USP – and have made a significant change to our daily lives.