Speaker 1: We're all tired of Google Calendar by this point, right? Although it's still the calendar-blocking holy grail, time-blocking apps have grown exponentially over the years. You now have incredible alternatives that were engineered from scratch for this specific time management technique. So in this video, we are going to look at 5 great Google Calendar alternatives, their different features and how to use them, and then at the end I'll give you my verdict on the app I would pick out of this group. So let's start this planning journey with Plan. Plan relies on three different organization tools, featuring a calendar, a task organization system and a document management system. Like most planning apps, Plan lets you integrate projects and tasks from other tools you're currently using. So if you're a Google or an Outlook fan, it will be very easy to transfer your calendar to this app. When you open Plan, you'll be prompted to create your first task, and then to click and drag that task to the calendar pane on the right side of the screen. This is an incredibly helpful feature that, unfortunately, is missing from most calendar apps. A seamless integration between your to-do list and your calendar view. An interface that is intuitive and really makes you feel like you're making time in your day to tackle that ever-growing to-do list. While Google Calendar also features a task pane in calendar view, the task organization features are poor and the interface is not really intuitive. Google Calendar forces all of your tasks to have a default duration of 30 minutes, which makes zero sense and most people end up ignoring the task integration because it's completely useless for time-blocking purposes. Plan, on the other hand, does a great job at conciliating your tasks and your calendar. Furthermore, it adds two really nice details. A priority option, which allows you to select the priority level from lowest to highest, and a postponing button, which automatically migrates a task to the following day. And personally, this little detail makes the app stand out for me. Postponing is an inevitable part of any time-blocking routine. Even if you plan your day to the minute, some tasks overspill, some meetings and appointments are delayed, and the architecture of your daily schedule changes and flows throughout the week. Having the option to automatically postpone a task without having to manually duplicate it or clicking and dragging it to an already full schedule can make a huge difference in your workflow. If you prefer to plan on your phone, time block can be a fantastic alternative to Google Calendar as well. The daily view features an intuitive arrangement of your tasks and events with a click and drag format too. It's really fun to organize your day with time block because the app uses visual cues, icons and colors to help you coordinate multiple tasks and events throughout the day. I like the small detail that time block lets you select different days of the week by providing a timeline at the top of the screen, instead of forcing you to swipe back and forth until your desired date like Google Calendar does. Another thing that time block does like no other is helping you manage your time by featuring a routine creation tool. It duplicates a certain set of habits throughout your week, weekend or other combination of days. My main issue with time block though, besides the inability to use a web browser or computer app version to plan, is the fact that it relies on calendar features and doesn't really provide you with task management alternatives. For instance, if you schedule a task for 1 hour and you end up completing it in 45 minutes, you have to manually reset the duration of that task, instead of being able to check the task as completed. In that sense, time block is a true time management tool, in which it allows you to see what you should be doing with your time, but the lackluster task management features will stop advanced time blocking enthusiasts from using it. Cron is the calendar app recently acquired by Notion, and while it's still in early access, it's definitely an app to keep an eye out for if you're a fan of classic calendar blocking features and interface, and if you're looking for a Google Calendar alternative that is mainly focused on team management. First of all, Cron focuses a lot on availability sharing, using a click and drag feature to help you mark availability on your calendar and share it with teammates or people outside your organization. It's an incredibly intuitive way to find space in your schedule to meet with other people. As you select availability, Cron automatically copies the invite to your clipboard, so you can send it via Slack, Teams, or email, and you can select Zoom or Google Meets to quickly create a meeting room, and letting your invitee join when it's time for your meeting. The invite will automatically include a confirmation link, which is a really nice detail to keep track of attendance to. Besides Steam overlays which help you see your teammates' calendar on top of your own, there's also a really helpful quick meeting feature that helps you create a meeting on the spot with a specific team member in mind. Clicking and dragging a meeting across the calendar will automatically remind you to notify your teammates as well. Overall, Cron's features are simple but really well thought of, and perfect for anyone who works with people over multiple time zones and relies a lot on conferencing to work. TickTick is gaining a lot of traction in the productivity community, and with reason. It's a fantastic task manager that is absurdly simple and intuitive to use, and it removes all the bells and whistles by streamlining your productivity workflow with a simple task view and the calendar view. Calendar view is seamlessly integrated in your task management system, and it's where all the calendar-blocking magic happens. Unfortunately, the specific feature is hidden behind a paywall, but for 2 bucks per month, it's still within reach for many users. What I love the most about TickTick's calendar is that you can use it without the task pane to organize all of your tasks and events. And the best feature is that, as you're creating your task, you can create subtasks in the calendar pane and check them off as you finish them during your work session. You can also easily cancel a task if, for some reason, you are able to delegate it to someone else, or if it gets postponed and the task won't disappear from your calendar, which can be so useful if you need to make an inventory of non-completed tasks and schedule them for a future date. You can also postpone overdue tasks with the click of a button, and to top it off, TickTick also integrates a timer inside the app, so when you start working on a particular task, you can create a timer and even set an estimated duration to complete that task, or a stopwatch if you prefer the challenge. You can activate the timer both in the task view or the calendar view as well. Overall, TickTick ultra-simplifies its task and calendar management features, but everything that it delivers is incredibly well thought of and is integrated seamlessly with a very shallow learning curve. Finally, let's talk about Accuflow. Accuflow is specifically tailored for users who prefer calendar blocking to manage their time and the app's interface shows that preference. Accuflow's purpose, first of all, is to compile tasks and events from all the apps you're currently using. It uses a hybrid pane with your task list on the left and your calendar on the right, just like the first app on this list, and the click-and-drag format makes it easy and quick to schedule your tasks. You can also select a task to be your goal for the day, which will highlight it nicely both on your task list and your calendar view. You also have multiple options to classify and organize your tasks, including assigning labels and tags, snoozing for a different day or week, adding it to your someday inbox, and a lot more. The interface and design is beautiful, but Accuflow still feels a little bit green. For instance, I tried multiple times to set up a daily ritual, but the website just kept crashing, so I wasn't even able to test this feature at all. So all in all, if I had to start calendar blocking again, and I hope I will return to it someday after I get a bit more accustomed to this huge transition called motherhood, I would definitely pick TickTick. It's just the right combination of powerful tools and ultra-simplified productivity systems that I love. It aggregates all the productivity principles that I'm a fan of, calendar blocking, tiered task lists, flexible timers, and the ability to quickly postpone, reschedule, and reorganize tasks and events. And it just works. It's incredibly easy to learn and fast to use, making it easier to create new habits quickly and staying on top of your schedule. And if you want to strengthen your habits, I highly recommend reading the lessons behind a great book called The Power of Habit. 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When I use Shortform and as I access a summary I previously read, I look forward to the full experience and I end up buying the full book, while always being able to go back to Shortform to at least remember its main key points. Shortform also drops new book guides and articles every week, so to get 5 days of unlimited access and an additional 20% off discount on the annual subscription, join Shortform through my special link, or you can simply click the link in the description box below. I really hope you've enjoyed today's video and I will see you next week. Bye guys.