The Future of Calendars: Predictions and Trends Smart calendars, chatbots, and other tech tools will change the workplace for the better. Here is what we think is going to happen:
By John Rampton Edited by Mark Klekas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
This story originally appeared on Readwrite.com and Calendar.
We live in a world where online calendars are a part of our daily lives. No matter how diligently you use an online calendar, you're still benefiting from it. For instance, you might be reminded to send a birthday card online, schedule events or business meetings, or block out your day.
It is important to realize that online calendars are still a relatively new productivity tool that is rapidly developing. As a matter of fact, your online calendar is becoming more of a personal assistant that will advise you on how to spend your time best. But, there is so much more than calendars are capable of in the future, such as the following predictions and trends.
Solving scheduling problems
"So far, it looks like the reinvention of the calendar will happen in two phases," notes David Pierce for Protocol. "First, users will get access to a new set of tools, integrated with Google and Outlook calendars but opening up lots of new features."
After that, calendars will be turned into a standalone service if they prove successful. In the same way, Slack is to email, Zoom is to a desk phone, and Airtable is to Excel, all these companies hope to be to your Outlook calendar, he added. "Time is money, all these calendar companies will argue to investors and customers, and we'll save you both."
Related: 7 Tips for Managing Your Schedule Like a Pro
We're only at the beginning of the first phase and still attacking the first problem worth solving: scheduling. How about one solution? It's as simple as speeding up the process.
For example, Superhuman scans emails for dates like "next Friday" and lets users send invitations accordingly. Scheduling is, in essence, an email problem. As a result, it should be available as an email solution as well. In a similar vein, Vimcal, often referred to as "Superhuman for calendars," is a new app that focuses on speed, and CEO John Li said most people want meeting creation to happen lightning fast.
Calendar is another option if you want to speed up the scheduling process. The Find a Time feature in Calendar allows you to schedule with others quickly. Using multiple calendar users, create events based on their availability and see when they are busy.
Chatbots will be able to organize your meetings
Professional life has become quite complicated following the pandemic. For example, working remotely from home isn't as straightforward as it seems. Many of us find it hard to keep up with the increasing demands on our time.
At the same time, the number of American employees working remotely is expected to increase to 36.2 million by 2025. So, we will have to get used to these new working conditions.
The majority of the time, work involves scheduling meetings and being on time. To make your life easier, you can use a chatbot to help you set up meetings. Chatbots, such as SharePoint calendars, can still be useful as an additional meeting planning tool.
Related: Chatbots, their positive impact and how to take advantage of the customer experience
You can also schedule meetings using Messagely or TARS. It is also beneficial to manage teams remotely and track their time by using a time tracker. It is possible to balance work and life with the help of these chatbots.
Chatbots and software powered by artificial intelligence also show great promise for helping businesses become more productive and profitable. For example, a phone validator app checks the validity, type of line, network carrier, location, etc., of the line to improve productivity.
These chatbots can handle scheduling and organizing meetings while you focus on other important tasks.
Calendars will become even more intelligent
Smart or intelligent calendars collect every schedule or action to boost productivity and simplify management using intelligence or automation. Using an intelligent calendar will help you establish boundaries between your personal and professional life.
As well as blocking time, you can reduce the time spent on certain tasks manually. Your ideal workweek can be automatically scheduled and managed using a smart calendar. Besides scheduling tasks, you can use an intelligent calendar to increase efficiency and reduce human dependency.
It goes without saying that an intelligent calendar can enhance productivity and save you time. In an effort to streamline meetings, increase event aggregation, and reduce time wastage, intelligent calendars have become a necessity due to the following:
- Notes can be jotted down in the calendar to help keep track of important information and deadlines.
- Synchronize your personal and work calendars.
- It is possible to get information from smart notes that will help you determine what actions to take.
- Organizes all your meeting invitations
- From the app, you can get relevant information about the weather, traffic, and drive times.
With Motion, for example, you can always know what to do next. It creates a day-by-day schedule based on meetings, giving you a minute-by-minute overview. Trevor AI is another AI calendar app that helps you organize your day by keeping track of your lists of tasks to do; this AI calendar app puts one task at a time so that you work more efficiently.
Furthermore, Calendar can provide smart suggestions on when, where, and who to invite when scheduling meetings. It's not magic. With artificial intelligence and machine learning, Calendar can create a unique scheduling experience for you.
Finally, intelligent calendars can help you become less distracted and more productive
If you block out 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in your calendar for undisturbed work, quiet time is from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. Your calendar will automatically block out this time instead of creating a recurring event.
During this time, you may find your calendar automatically disables distractions like email and social media notifications. It's possible that your calendar will determine when you're most productive as well. As such, if you fade out every 50 minutes, you'll be reminded to stretch and take a break.
And, that's just scratching the surface. Considering that the size of the global artificial intelligence market was $136.55 billion in 2022 and is projected to increase by 37.3% from 2023 to 2030, calendars will continue to become more and more intelligent.
The AR calendar will bring your calendar to life
It's true that some companies have been using augmented reality (AR) to make plain old paper calendars more interactive for the past several years.
As an example, once you download an app, you just need to point your phone at a calendar image and tap the screen. Using AR, Tengo Interactive created an airport calendar that provided users with a behind-the-scenes view. Other companies have created wall calendars that utilize augmented reality to explain their entire product range.
By 2028, the AR market is expected to reach $97.76 billion. Due to this, augmented reality calendars and marketing opportunities will continue to expand rapidly.
By using this technology, you will be able to walk through a property in virtual reality. From there, you might be able to make an appointment with the realtor if you like what you see.
If you are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon, you could experience the destination before booking the trip. Or, you could view local restaurants, salons, or museums. You then have the option to make reservations or book tickets and have them automatically added to your calendar.
Use ChatGPT prompts to manage your time
On November 30, 2022, ChatGPT was launched, which quickly sent the internet into a frenzy. Just one week after it was launched, OpenAI's chatbot reached 1 million users. It also gained 57 million users in its first month and is supported by Microsoft's $10 billion investment in Open AI.
Still not impressed? After two months of launch, ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users, making it the world's fastest-growing consumer app. And some people have even dubbed it "the best AI chatbot ever released to the general public."
But what link is there between ChatGPT and calendars?
In particular, Chat GPT can help you locate open times on your calendar for dental appointments or team meetings. In order to fix this problem, you might write a prompt telling it what your schedule looks like for the week and ask for a reorganization.
Related: Here's How Your Business Can Use 3 Popular AI Content Creation Tools
As well as scheduling meetings and appointments, ChatGPT can keep track of deadlines and deliverables for event managers. ChatGPT's natural language processing feature enables event managers to input their requirements and view their schedules on a calendar.
Some of your chores will be taken care of by your calendar
"Online calendars aren't merely more useful than their paper peers," writes Howie Jones in a previous Calendar post. "Today's top calendar apps can recognize and prevent double-bookings." Others can adjust meetings across time zones.
But, over the next decade or so, how much more will online calendars be capable of?
"While I wouldn't hold out for magically tackling your chores for you, there are many more online calendars will be able to do by 2030," Howie adds. You may see the following upgrades:
Book travel
As your calendar continues to evolve, your reservations will be made for you. How? Several popular online calendar apps will integrate airlines and hotel services. From the same app, you can decide when and where you want to go.
Scan and plan
Let's say you walk past a flyer or a billboard advertising a local event. Rather than scanning down the information, why not let your calendar app copy it down for you?
Suggest nearby events
You can use your mobile device's location tools to find out where you are. Your calendar app will then show you all events within a specified radius when you choose the day and hour. As long as it knows your preferences, it won't suggest a roller coaster park if you hate them.
Tend to your home
Google Home and Alexa will soon be able to connect with your online calendar, so you can schedule actions for each device connected to your smart home network.
Maintain your vehicle
Changing your car's oil and rotating its tires should be done every few thousand miles. Using your calendar app, you can keep track of your mechanic visits and schedule future appointments. With the help of an app like Google Maps, it will alert you when you have reached your mileage threshold. The app will suggest a highly-rated mechanic if your current mechanic is unsatisfactory.
