Describe at least four general guidelines that you should follow in creating and managing your calendars.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

1.      Determine what you need to schedule. People use a calendar to keep track of their schedule and to organize and manage their time. For students, a class list with room numbers and class times would be a good start toward managing their school schedule. For business professionals, the calendar is a dynamic tool that requires frequent updating to keep track of appointments and meetings. You also may want to keep track of personal items, such as birthdays and family gatherings.
2.      Determine where to store your calendar items. Any information you add to the Outlook Calendar is called a calendar item, or item for short. Outlook stores items in a folder named Calendar by default. If you are creating personal, academic, or business items, you may want to create separate calendars for each group.
3.      Determine if an activity is recurring. A recurring activity is one that happens on a regular basis. Classes most likely recur throughout the semester. Work schedules can change week-by-week or month-by-month. Family events, such as birthdays and anniversaries, also can be recurring events on the calendar.
4.      Create an agenda before scheduling a meeting. An agenda is a list of items to be discussed in a meeting. A poorly organized meeting may be the least productive tool in the business world, while a carefully planned meeting with a defined agenda can be a productive use of time, helping meeting participants stay focused and on schedule.
5.      Set calendar item options. When creating items on a calendar, determine how to display the time of an appointment or event, such as busy or out of the office, so that the calendar is an accurate indication of your time. Also, decide whether to set a reminder for the item and how often it recurs, if at all.
6.      Determine the best method for distributing a calendar. Consider whether you need to share a calendar with others. If you do, you can share calendars electronically in Outlook or print a calendar and distribute printed copies.