How to Manage a Family Schedule With Google Calendar

You can easily manage your entire family's schedule on Google calendar.

Managing your family’s schedules can be a full-time job. Google calendar makes it easy to clearly see and share events in one central location, reducing the likelihood of unexpected conflicts and scheduling mistakes. Here is a step-by-step guide to managing your family schedule with Google calendar.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet access

Instructions

1. Go to calendar.google.com and sign up for a free account.

2. Sign into your Google calendar account. In the main control panel, go to “My calendar” on the left hand side. Click “Create.”

3. On the “Create New Calendar” panel, enter the name of your spouse in “Calendar Name.”

4. Under “Share with specific people,” enter your spouse’s e-mail address. On the “Permission Settings” drop-down menu, select “Make changes AND manage sharing.” Click “Add Person.” Click the “Create Calendar” button.

5. Repeat step three and four, creating a new calendar for each member of your family. Under “Share with specific people,” be sure to enter each of your children’s e-mail addresses, if they have one. Otherwise, skip this portion.

6. Once you have all of your family’s individual calendars listed, you can start entering schedule details. Click a day and a “Create Event” panel will pop up. In the “What” section, enter an event. On the “Calendar” drop-down menu, select the family member who is doing the activity. Click “Create Event.”

7. Customize the colors of each family member’s calendar so that you can see everyone’s schedule clearly.

Tips & Warnings

• Google makes it easy to customize reminder and recurring settings for each event. Experiment with the configuration until you find a set-up that suits your needs.

• Google makes it easy to print calendars and syncs well with other desktop and mobile applications.