Outlook - 7 Calendar Tips Every User Should Know

Posted on:  09/07/2021
Outlook - 7 Calendar Tips Every User Should Know

We spend a lot of time in our Outlook calendar. With these calendar tips and tricks, you'll learn how to use your calendar efficiently.  I'll demonstrate to you how I use my Outlook desktop calendar to be more productive.

Multiple Time Zones in Outlook

Multiple Time Zones in Outlook

YouTube Video

Other Outlook articles

Tip 1 - Ctrl keys to quickly access navigation icons

 

Keyboard shortcut Action
CTRL + 1 Email
CTRL + 2 Calendar
CTRL + 3 People / Contacts
CTRL + 4 Task

 

CTRL keys in Outlook to use Navigation icons

CTRL keys in Outlook to access Navigation icons

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  • Word and Outlook - Dictate with Auto Punctuation and Voice Commands

    The Dictate feature in Word and Outlook has been greatly improved. Dictate will now allow Auto Punctuation, Voice Commands, and a Profanity Filter. The Dictate command works in the Desktop apps - Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Interestingly, the new improvements only work in Word and Outlook.

Tip 2 - See multiple months

You can resize the folder pane to view multiple months. You can move if left and right and up and down.

View multiple months in Outlook calendar

View multiple months in Outlook calendar

Tip 3 - Calendar Views

1:03 in the video

The following views allow you to see times zones:

  • Day
  • Work Week
  • Week

To get back to Today, click wither Today or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + T.

Calendar views in Outlook

Calendar views in Outlook

Tip 4 - Add Time Zones

In Day, Work Week, and Week view you can show 1 to 3 times zones.

Steps to show time zones:

  1. Go to File, and click Options.
  2. Click Calendar.
  3. In the Time Zones section, add the time zones you want to view
  4. Click OK.
Add Time Zones in Outlook calendar

Add Time Zones in Outlook calendar

Tip 5 - End Meetings Early

Back-to-back meetings are tough. It is impossible to go from one meeting to the next, yet we keep scheduling back-to-back meetings. Outlook has a great feature so that you can end meetings early.

Options for meetings less than one hour, you can end early:

  • 5 minutes
  • 8 minutes
  • 10 minutes

Options for meetings one hour or longer, you can end early:

  • 5 minutes
  • 10 minutes
  • 15 minutes
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  • Create a Poll in an Outlook email

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Outlook End Meetings Early

Outlook End Meetings Early

Tip 6 - Ctrl to select individual dates

You can select individual dates to show in your calendar by using the Ctrl key.

Ctrl to select individual dates in Outlook

Ctrl to select individual dates in Outlook

Tip 7 - Send calendar in an email message

If you need to meet with co-workers, use the Scheduling Assistant in Outlook. If you need to meet with many people internally and externally, you may want to use the Find Time poll feature, but if you want to meet with one person outside your company, send them your calendar in an Outlook email.

Steps to send calendar availability

  1. Go to Mail and start a new email.
  2. Click the Insert tab.
  3. Click Calendar in the Include group.
  4. Select the date range and the detail or availability to show.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Send the email.
Send calendar availability in an email message

Send calendar availability in an email message

Microsoft Teams Training - Online Course

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Just some of the topics covered

  1. Navigation Teams
  2. Using private Chat
  3. Using group Chat
  4. Teams Meetings
    1. Scheduling Meetings
    2. Meeting controls
    3. Roles in a meeting
    4. Sharing resources
    5. PowerPoint in a meeting
    6. Scheduling Team meetings from Outlook
  5. Working with Teams and Channels
    1. Conversations
    2. Files
    3. Wiki and OneNote
  6. Using Outlook and Teams
  7. Using apps in Teams
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Chris Menard

Chris Menard is a Microsoft Trainer (MCT) and works as a full-time Trainer at BakerHostetler - one of the largest law firms in the US. Chris runs a YouTube channel with 900+ technology videos that cover various tools such as Excel, Word, Zoom, Teams, Gmail, Copilot, Google Calendar, and Outlook. To date, the channel has helped over 20 million viewers. Menard also does 2 to 3 public speaking events yearly, presenting at the Administrative Professional Conference (APC), the EA Ignite Conference, the University of Georgia, and CPA conferences. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://chrismenardtraining.com/linkedin or watch his videos on YouTube at https://chrismenardtraining.com/youtube.

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