But beyond the basics, there’s a whole world of clever tricks and hidden features to make your work life easier—and dare we say—more fun.
Here are 10 lesser-known ways to get more out of Outlook Calendar and keep your organisation resolution on track. For Outlook Classic and Outlook New.
Outlook lets you assign categories to calendar events and meetings. Use colours to visually separate work meetings, personal tasks, and focus time.
Categories are a simple yet powerful way to bring clarity to your schedule. Assign different colours for recurring themes like client meetings, focus blocks, or personal commitments. The result? At a glance, you’ll know exactly what your day holds. Pro tip: Use consistent colours across all calendars—your brain will thank you for the visual consistency.
Stop juggling between your inbox and calendar when tasks pop up. Outlook makes it easy to schedule straight from your email:
No more copy-pasting or double-handling! It’s perfect for task follow-ups, project deadlines, or scheduling meetings straight from a email.
Want to share your availability without giving away the details of every meeting? Outlook’s calendar sharing options let you maintain privacy while staying collaborative:
This is ideal for team scheduling, especially if you’re coordinating meetings without overloading others with unnecessary information.
Finding a time that works for everyone can feel like herding cats—but not with AutoPick:
It’s like having your own virtual assistant for meetings. Less stress, more productivity.
Save valuable minutes (and clicks) with these keyboard shortcuts to navigate Outlook Calendar like a pro:
Mastering these tricks adds minutes back to your day—every day.
If your weekends are sacred or your calendar’s too cluttered, Outlook can clean things up:
It’s a small tweak that gives you a clearer picture of your priorities.
Outlook makes it simple to manage your tasks alongside your calendar and email. Here's how to manually create tasks and keep organised:
By creating and organising tasks, you can stay on top of your to-dos and keep your day running smoothly.
Collaborating with teams or clients across time zones? Outlook makes it simple:
Now, you can easily compare times for meetings without constantly Googling “what time is it in Sydney?”
Recurring events aren’t just for meetings—use them to schedule blocks for productivity, habits, and routines:
With recurring events, Outlook keeps your priorities consistent—no manual re-scheduling needed.
If your organisation uses Microsoft Teams, you can connect it with Outlook Calendar to make scheduling and collaboration even smoother:
By integrating Outlook with Teams, you streamline scheduling, reduce back-and-forth emails, and make remote collaboration easier than ever.
Outlook Calendar isn’t just for scheduling meetings—it’s a tool to help you work smarter, stay on top of tasks, and find balance in your day. By tapping into these 10 tricks, you’ll not only save time but also build an organisation system that works for you.
Need help making the most of Microsoft 365 tools? At The I.T. Team, we’ll help you unlock Outlook’s full potential so you can focus on what matters most.
Get in touch today—because being organised shouldn’t feel like work.
