6 Reasons Shared Calendars Create More Productive Teams

Many hands make work easier. At least, that's what they say. The truth is that multiple hands only lighten the load if they all work together. The job can be even more difficult if some hands are pulling in a different direction or not pulling their weight at all.

Whether you're a team leader or a team player, unity and productivity should be among your highest priorities. After all, who wouldn't want to do more in less time? This brings more money to your business, allows your team to achieve more achievements, and opens up new professional opportunities for both of you.

Teams have tried to become more productive, with varying degrees of success, in several ways. One easily recognized method is the implementation of shared calendars. This article describes just a few of the many ways this simple tool can unlock a whole new level of potential in your team:

1. Easier communication

Communication is one of life's most valuable skills. With good communication, your personal relationships can thrive. Good communication also greatly facilitates teamwork. There is plenty of evidence of families, friends and teams falling into disarray due to miscommunication.

While you can view a calendar and see a number of dates in boxes, this tool has many other benefits. For example, any event you create in your calendar can be shared. This can let your whole team know the time, date, location, and nature of an upcoming meeting or event. They can add it to their own calendar and quickly access all relevant information.

When scheduling upcoming meetings and events, you can also get a clear idea of ​​everyone's availability. This makes date selection much easier, especially for remote teams. The fewer messages it takes to pass on information and develop plans, the better.

2. Better coordination

Being part of a team requires a lot of coordination. Efforts must be unified despite staggered deadlines, shifting schedules, and last-minute adjustments. Some teams even operate in different time zones, which is a whole different challenge.

A shared calendar can facilitate coordination by increasing the transparency of schedules. Let's say that as a manager, you want your team to know your availability for any questions and updates they might want to give you. Instead of corresponding through a long stream of emails, you can share your calendar with its free slots. This way they can quickly check when would be a good time to contact you.

3. Improved time management

How your team uses their time is crucial to their overall productivity. Time is perhaps the most precious resource, yet it is so easily wasted. An online calendar can help your team maximize their use of time to complete projects faster without sacrificing quality.

There are several time management methods that can be implemented through the use of an online calendar. One of these methods is called time blocking. Simply put, you lock in sections of time to spend on a single task through this method. It can help teams focus by focusing on the most important task at any given time. Time blocks can also be used to ensure that adequate breaks are taken so that team members do not become overworked or stressed.

These time management techniques can be implemented in teams or individually. Sometimes helping just one team member become more productive and efficient helps the group. For example, they cannot move forward if the team is waiting for a member to complete the specified task. Help this member manage their time more effectively; everything will go faster.

Better time management helps your team work-life balance. When team members can pursue their hobbies and spend time with family, morale tends to rise. The happiest employees often work harder, stay motivated longer, and bond more easily. A content team is more likely to be retained and only gets better over time.

4. Even workload

Each member of your team is very different from the others. They have their unique strengths and weaknesses which hopefully complement each other well. They will also have varying levels of motivation, commitment, and energy. As a team leader, your goal is to distribute the workload as evenly as possible, taking into account all of these variables.

You can view team calendars and individual work calendars to assess each team member's workload. With this information, you can better delegate new tasks so as not to overload anyone. This allows for improved tracking...