4 quiet Calendar upgrades that changed how I manage my time
Google Calendar’s lesser known features can dramatically improve time management
Structured helps handle the mental load of juggling tasks and deadlines
Clarity at last
The only effective way to motivate myself is to set a deadline. Whether set by myself or another, having a set time when I have to complete a task by dramatically increases my productivity. So, let’s take today as an example of how I use Structured.
At 4 p.m. today, I’m meeting with a friend. While this is usually around the time I finish work, I also need to do grocery shopping and tidy my apartment before they arrive. These tasks will take me no more than two hours. This gives me five hours from starting my day to complete my work.
In the past, this was the kind of fact that would send me into a panic in the morning. How Structured helps is that it provides me with an immediate visual overview of my day. As soon as I open my app, not only do I see my events and tasks, but there’s a handy tracker letting me know how long I have until my next task. Obviously, I can do the math in my head, but seeing a countdown helps reinforce the deadline in my mind.
Structured’s visual-first layout is exactly what I needed
No more surprises
I’ve tested countless calendar and to-do apps over the years, but I’ve struggled to stick with any for a meaningful length of time. Many tend to require so much work to manage that they become a chore in themselves. Structured is simplistic compared to competitors, but it’s that simplicity that helps.
I don’t have a chaotic life. I keep my obligations to a minimum. The problems arise when I forget what’s going on. Structured helps by giving me an immediate overview of my week with simple colors.
Let’s imagine that I’m looking at this week as I did on Monday. I can see that I’m doing chores on Wednesday (dark blue), meeting friends on Wednesday (purple), working in-person on Thursday and Saturday (yellow), and traveling on Saturday and Monday. These colored circles are usually enough to jog my memory, but tapping on them instantly gives me the extra detail I might need. I don’t add in my Android Police work, because I fit this in during all the free time spaces.
Finally, there’s the handy Inbox tool. This is where I can put tasks that don’t necessarily have a set time yet. For example, I’m planning on calling my friends soon. We haven’t set a time yet, so I’ve popped it in my Inbox as a reminder to schedule it. When I know when it’ll happen, I can tap it and set the start time. It’s a fantastic feature for someone like me, who always has multiple half-formed plans in progress at any time.
Another app that doesn’t need an AI assistant
But its strengths more than make up for its flaws
It wouldn’t be a modern app without an AI assistant. I haven’t used Structured’s for creating tasks, because I have to double-check them anyway, but it has come in handy from time to time. For example, if I’m running over schedule, I can tell it to push all the rest of the day’s tasks back half an hour. I can also use it to add tasks from paper, like event posters. However, it would be nice if I had the option to remove it from the app’s home screen, because I definitely don’t need it.
I also wish for a month overview. While the weekly and daily views are perfect, it’s hard to get a quick look at what the whole month looks like.
But these are small problems that don’t detract from the app’s excellence. The free version isn’t effective for long-term use, but the $30 per year subscription is reasonable. There’s also a $100 one-time purchase, but I’m hesitant to recommend this when there is every chance the app could dramatically change within three years.
Structured is the minimalist app for people who hate planning
If you, like me, have found most calendar and task-management apps more trouble than they’re worth, I recommend Structured. It’s perfect if you need daily and weekly reminders about your obligations, but don’t need to plan every minute of your day.
