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About Calendars in Apps

by Michael Banzon <michael@banzon.dk> on 2025-02-03

We all use calendars - but I fear we don't use them enough, and that we use them for the wrong things!

I imagine that most of us use a calendar to guide our daily activitites. It might be a calendar on our computer/phone, on paper, or even in our mind.

What is a calendar?

In my opinion a calendar should be used to mark events that are locked in time. That means that if I have an event in my calendar on Saturday between 13:30 and 15:00 I am (somewhat) busy in the period of time, doing whatever that event is.

That also means that events that are not locked in time should not go in my calendar.

If I have to make a shopping list today, for picking up groceries tomorrow, it doesn't matter when I do it, as long as it is done today.

Error number one: Put it in the calendar at a specific time. Error numebr two: Put it in the calendar, as an all-day event.

Both of these are wrong. In the first case you indicate this needs to happen at this time. and if that is not your intent, then don't. The second one indicates this is something that is covering all of my day, which (I hope!) is also wrong.

Tasks like these belong on a to do list instead.

Bring in the apps

A lot of apps (for phones, mainly) now hold calendars.

The app for communicating with the kids school. The app for the older kids lesson plan. The Formula 1 app, YouTube and other streaming services like Twitch etc.. The app for my gym classes. All of them have some kind of calendar or reminder function designed to let me know at a specific time, that now I have to do this thing.

Funny enough, the reason for installing these apps in the first place - instead of simply using a website for booking etc. - is to have the notifications for events.

But I already have a calendar!

The problem with all apps and services having a calendar, is that now all the stuff I need to do at certain times ends up either not being in my main calendar, which is now useless OR it has to be duplicated in a manual process maintained by me.

No matter how I look at this, it is bad!

I could allow notifications from these apps, but that means it only works if a cary my phone around and actively look at it. Also, these notifications does not come alone - they bring a lot of other notifications with them from the very same apps.

The solution should be simple

Actually, my calendar can help solve this problem.

The solution is built in!

Import/export of events.

If I sign up for a yoga class: Import into calendar!

Easy! And for stuff that is more ongoing we have the option to have calendar invites. We all know them from work. They do what we need! You can even accept/decline to indicate if you are actually going to participate in that informative meeting at your kids school.

Bonus, about messages

Many years ago GitHub nailed the issue-conversations!

I get an email, I can reply to that email. Easy! The email is parsed and put into the issue thread.

I wish we had that for all apps that include messaging.

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