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Automatically vs. Manually Color-coding Appointments
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While some people find color-coded appointments on their calendar to be distracting, I've discovered that using a few colors helps me to distinguish at-a-glance how my time is going to be spent on a given day or week.
I caution people not to go overboard with color coding their calendar because they can end up wasting time. I color-code only four types of appointments on my calendar: Phone Calls, Speaking Engagements, Writing-Related, and Personal.
I've taken advantage of Conditional Formatting in Outlook 2010 (In Outlook 2007 it's called Automatic formatting) so certain appointments automatically change color when they are created.
Here's how to set up Conditional Formatting in Outlook:
- In Outlook 2010, while viewing your calendar, go to View > View Settings > Conditional Formatting
- In Outlook 2007, right click on any existing appointment in your calendar. Select the Automatic Formatting option from the menu.
- Click "Add" to create a Condition > Assign the condition a name, i.e. "Writing"
- Assign a color
- Click "Conditions"> Then in the section labeled "Search for the Words," insert key words that will be used when setting up an appointment related to a writing project. i.e. "Write," "Writing," "Newsletter," "Proposal," "Outline"
- Click OK
Voila! In the future, any appointment containing any of your keywords will automatically turn the color you have assigned it.
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