Outlook Part 2: How to Utilize the Clever Calendar

Scheduling appointments is one of the most popular Microsoft® Outlook functions. Do you need to record a meeting in Outlook? In the Calendar, double-click the hour that you want the meeting to begin. In the Appointment form, enter the information pertaining to the meeting. Then, click Save and Close.

To schedule a recurring appointment, double-click the timeslot that you want it to first occur. In the Appointment form, enter the necessary information regarding the engagement. Next, select the Recurrence icon and fill out the pertinent data. Then, click OK and Save and Close.

Helpful Hints

Do you need to print your schedule? If so, make sure that no appointments are open in your Outlook Calendar. From the toolbar, click Print or --> click File --> Print. In the Print dialogue box, select your printer and click Print. To remove an appointment, select the meeting that needs to be deleted, open the Edit toolbar, and click Delete.

In addition, meeting requests are simple to accept. When you receive an e-mail invitation, open it up and select your response from the list of options. Would you like to Accept the invitation, mark it as Tentative or Decline it? Choose your response and then click "OK." Also, sending an e-mail response without body text is optional. However, if you select Decline, it's often polite to explain why you cannot attend a meeting. Remember: This may prevent you from having to send a separate e-mail later.

What if you're invited to a meeting but need to change the time it's scheduled? Simply click the Propose New Time option in the open meeting request. In the Free/Busy area, select the preferred time and then click Propose Time. If you need to change the time of a meeting and you were the person who originally scheduled it: Open the meeting --> click the Scheduling Tab. In the Free/Busy area, select the new start and end date and time --> click Send Update. When you're scheduling personal appointments that need to be viewed by others, be sure you select the appropriate Show time as: option. This will tell others whether you're away from the office, busy, tentative, etc.

A Personal Touch

Be sure that your calendar is optimized to appear the way you like it. The look can be adapted by modifying options in the View area from the Outlook toolbar. Like all Microsoft programs, Outlook Calendar may be customized by accessing Tools --> Options. Here, you can also select how often your calendar will remind you of an appointment. For instance, do you want to be reminded every hour on the day of the event? If so, customize it.

Other criteria can be customized by clicking the Calendar Options button from the Options dialogue box. Also, when shutting down an application, be sure to click the OK button. That way, you can be certain that your changes will take effect.

In addition, you can switch back and forth from your calendar to your e-mail by simply clicking Calendar or Inbox from your list of Outlook Folders. To do this, select the Go option from the main Outlook toolbar. Outlook can also be synched with your BlackBerry and other handheld devices. If you need help setting this up, be sure to check with your IT department or Internet provider.

Talk About It

Do you regularly utilize Outlook Calendar? Or, do you use another web resource for scheduling and tracking appointments? Please share your thoughts about this technology!