How to Set up Google Calendar Reminders

Google Meet and Google Calendar are great tools that set you up to be on top of your schedule and to work, connect, and perform more effectively. Google Reminders is a feature in Google Calendar that sends you notifications to remind you about tasks and events so you can ensure you’ve done your pre-meeting planning and completed other necessary tasks ahead of time. These reminders improve your productivity, keep you organized, and hold you accountable for your responsibilities. 

Since Google Calendar reminders are both useful and effective, this article will explain exactly how you can set them up in the Google Calendar app on your mobile and your computer, how to edit your reminders, and what is an even better alternative to using Google Reminders. 

• What are Google Calendar reminders? 
• Pros of setting Google Calendar reminders
• Cons of setting Google Calendar reminders
• How to set and edit Google Calendar reminders 
• A better alternative to Google Calendar reminders 

What are Google Calendar reminders?

Google Reminders is an app integrated with Google Calendar and Google Assistant where you can set, be notified of, and then complete reminders. These reminders can be created to help you track your daily tasks, and can be set for a specific date and time or for any particular part of your day. This is a fairly user-friendly app considering there are many autofill options, and you can carry forward reminders until they are completed and edit them at any point. All of your reminders are private and can’t be shared for others, making your Google Calendar reminders personalized to exactly what you need. 

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Pros of setting Google Calendar reminders

• They remind you of upcoming meetings
• They help you stay organized 
• They are customizable to your needs 

1They remind you of upcoming meetings

Google Reminders do exactly what the name suggests: They remind you of upcoming tasks, events, and meetings. This is especially important for meetings, since you’ll want to engage in pre-meeting planning to ensure you come to the discussion prepared to participate, provide insights, and ask any questions you may have. Having these reminders gives you adequate time to do some reading, research, go through the meeting agenda, and ultimately attend the meeting feeling confident! 

2They help you stay organized 

Google Reminders is user friendly, which means that it’s quick and easy to set reminders and to stay organized. Whether you choose to use the feature alongside a to-do list or to use it exclusively as your to-do list, this app allows you to keep on top of all your responsibilities without letting anything slip through the cracks. Because you can go into your settings and use the edit function for reminders, you can track what you have completed, what needs to be prioritized, and what you have coming up so you always feel prepared to take on the day. 

3They are customizable to your needs 

Because Google Calendar reminders are customizable, they provide a personalized experience that helps you stay organized in your own unique way. You can set reminders to notify you however early you need—whether it’s an hour, half an hour, or 10 minutes ahead, depending on the meeting, task, or obligation. Similarly, you can edit your reminders to really make them your own depending on the frequency you need the reminder and the details associated with each one. 

Cons of setting Google Calendar reminders

• They don’t remind attendees to add to the meeting agenda 
• They can distract you 
• They are small and quick reminders

1They don’t remind attendees to add to the meeting agenda 

Google Reminders does not remind participants to do anything specifically, like to add to the meeting agenda or review the previous meeting’s action items. This can be somewhat of a disadvantage, since specific notes on a reminder are often helpful. This is especially true for individuals who have many tasks and responsibilities on the go and need specificities to help them stay on top of everything. 

2They can distract you 

Because of the pop-up feature that Google Reminders uses, it can be a distraction for some individuals. If you’re the type of worker that truly needs to be free of all distractions and noise to get your work done, Google Calendar reminders may not be right for you. Many of us have had situations where we’ve been engaging in deep work when something pops up or distracts us and consequently derails us from our line of thought; this need to realign and refocus afterwards can have a negative effect on productivity. 

3They are small and quick reminders

Another setback of Google Calendar reminders is that the notifications are so small and quick that there is a considerable chance you’ll miss them. If you leave your computer on ‘do not disturb’ or you step away from your workstation for a short while, your chances of missing your Google Calendar reminder are even more heightened. Because the reminder isn’t sent more than once, this could have a negative impact on your productivity and preparedness. 

How to set and edit Google Calendar reminders 

• How to set Google Calendar reminders 
• How to edit Google Calendar reminders 

1How to set Google Calendar reminders 

First, you need to open the Google Calendar app on your phone or computer. Once you’re into the app, click the plus sign at the bottom of the screen. Next, simply click on ‘Reminder’. Here, you’ll have the option to add a descriptive name for your reminder. 

If you want to set a reminder that will last for the duration of the day, turn on the ‘All-day’ toggle switch and choose a specific date for the reminder.

If you want to set a specific time for the reminder, turn off the ‘All-day’ toggle switch, select a day from the calendar, then select a specific time for the reminder using the scroll wheels.

If you want to repeat a reminder, click on ‘Does not repeat’ and select one of the options. Alternatively, you can customize a repeat schedule.

Lastly, and importantly, click on ‘Save’.

2How to edit Google Calendar reminders 

To edit your reminders, open your Google Calendar app and click on the reminder in your calendar. This will open this specific reminder so you can then click on the pencil. The pencil allows you to go in and edit the reminder. 

You can make changes to the name, date, time, and frequency of the reminder or choose to delete it all together. Make sure to click on ‘Save’ after you make your changes. 

A better alternative to Google Calendar reminders: Fellow 

While Google Calendar reminders are a great option for many people, there are still alternative apps and management tools that are even better. Fellow is a better alternative to this Google app because it allows you to set up pre-meeting reminders that provide attendees with a specific reminder to add to the meeting agenda before the meeting takes place. This ensures that you have built a collaborative meeting agenda and that all the attendees will arrive at the discussion ready to contribute. 

What’s more, Fellow has a specific Google Calendar integration. This Fellow and Google Calendar integration allows you to access your meeting notes in Fellow directly from Google Calendar events, so you can stay organized and boost meeting preparation, productivity, and accountability across the whole team. Because your meeting notes are linked to your Google Calendar, you can quickly scan important information before every subsequent meeting, rather than needing a refresher during the actual meeting. Moreover, you can schedule follow-ups in Fellow, which will then be automatically available in your Google Calendar. Rather than using several apps, you can have all of the information you need in one place. 

When preparing for a recurring meeting, it’s important to review what was discussed and decided last time you met. In Fellow, recurring meetings are organized together in one stream. Simply scroll down and see the entire history of that meeting since you first started taking notes. Lastly, with Fellow’s calendar integration, you’ll be able to join a video call directly from a link in your meeting agenda, without having to leave the agenda. 

Having everything in one place will save you time and energy and allow you to stay organized more seamlessly. 

Parting advice 

You can save valuable time and energy using Google Calendar reminders or Fellow. Because of the automation that Fellow uses to integrate with Google Calendar, we certainly feel as if this is the best option for anyone looking to improve their productivity, efficiency, and organization as Fellow truly gives you the best of both worlds. 

If you do choose to go with Google Calendar, be aware of its slight cons so you can avoid missing out on any important reminders and find alternate ways to make up for the pitfalls. Ultimately, any kind of reminders or management tool will help you become more productive and more aligned with your goals. If you’re already using Google Calendar reminders, why not give Fellow a try and see how these two tools work together to bring optimal organization and effectiveness to your workday.