Setting Up Your Calendar

Today, I will explain how I have set up my calendar in my iPhone 4, but it is also an explanation of how my regular calendar is set up. If you are using a BlackBerry it is very similar to the iPhone, and these suggestions transfer easily. I used to have a BlackBerry, so if you have any specific issues feel free to post a comment below, and I will try to get back to you will a solution.

It is simple to sync your calendars from your computer to your phone. Calendars saved on Outlook or iCal can be set up to sync whenever you connect your phone to your computer. You can also set up your Google Calendar to sync with your phone, and you do not need to attach your phone to your computer to keep that calendar up to date. If you have the latest software update (iOS5), you can also sync your Outlook or iCal calendars without a wire.

The calendar on the iPhone 4 now has a list view (top left) with a list of your calendar items by date, a day view (top right) that shows events on one day, a month view (bottom) that shows the month with the days selectable from there, and now there is a week view if you rotate the phone to landscape view.



The calendar displays each of your calendars together in one, so if you have separate calendars like I do they will appear together. For example, I keep a calendar in Outlook and another on Google. One of them is my regular schedule (classes, homework, appointments, work, etc) and the other is online because it has my charity group's events. As you can see from the week view (shown below), my regular schedule is in green (the colors are customizable) and the volunteer schedule is in purple. Also, you can see how I record when I have assignments due.



As I mentioned in my last post, I do use an assignment program (inClass) to stay on top of assignments, but I also use my regular calendar as well so that on any given day I can see the classes and other appointments I have with any homework or assignments right next to the day and time they are due or should be done by if they are not handed in assignments. I specifically put "DUE" as the first word if it is something to be handed in. I also capitalize tests so that they stand out (shown below). As you can see, the week view is not an appropriate way to view individual calendar items, but I do use it to see the available or "free" time in my schedule.



For more tricks to organizing your time, stick around for next week's posts on setting up to-do lists on your smartphone! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them as a comment below.