Integrating To-Do Lists with Calendar Apps

💡I automated my favorite productivity hack—and it changed everything. For years, I struggled with balancing my tasks and meetings. I love to-do lists, but let’s face it—tasks don’t magically get done until you block time for them. That’s when I discovered the power of timeboxing. But here’s the catch: I keep all my schedule in Google Calendar, while managing tasks in a completely separate app. The problem? My to-dos were scattered, and I constantly had to switch between apps to check my schedule and tasks. It became overwhelming and disorganized. Switching to Google Tasks seemed like it could help, but the default settings and lack of customization still didn’t meet my needs. So, I asked myself: What if I can use calendar for everything? What if my calendar could differentiate between tasks and meetings? What if it could color-code, organize, and notify me intelligently—without me lifting a finger? And that’s how Project Chameleon was born. 🦎 ✨ What is Project Chameleon? It’s an automation I built using Google Apps Script and Calendar APIs to revolutionize the way I manage my time. It: ✅ Automatically color-codes tasks differently from meetings. ✅ Adds emojis to tasks for instant recognition in notifications. ✅ Runs on the cloud, so it works seamlessly across all devices. No more cluttered calendars. No more missed appointments. Just a beautifully organized schedule that keeps me on track, effortlessly. See it in action and discover the why, what, and how—check out the full story in this 3-minute video: https://lnkd.in/gF7vNNcE Building this wasn’t just about solving my problem—it was about experimenting, innovating, and pushing boundaries. 🚀 What’s the one productivity hack that’s changed your life? What if you could automate it? What’s one challenge you face with your daily workflows, and how could automation help you solve it?  I’d love to hear your thoughts, let me know in the comments! #Productivity #Timeboxing #Automation #GoogleAppsScript

Put a finger down if you work in a business role in tech and keep hearing about AI agents but have no idea what the heck an AI agent *actually* is. This was me until last week. I always tell people who want to break into tech and grow their careers to upskill, so I decided to take my own advice. I wanted to see if I could build a simple "AI agent" personal assistant to read and write calendar events, emails, and my to-do list. After watching a bunch of Youtube videos on where and how to make simple AI agents (Tina Huang and Neil Stephenson both have great videos), I made an n8n-powered agent that uses my instructions via voice note to check/send emails, read/update my calendar, and add tasks to my Todoist. And most importantly, tell me when I have pilates 😅) Here's my total beginner, "start-from-a-template", "idk how an API works" breakdown of how to do this: 1️⃣ Get a N8N account, start a new workflow, and import a template. I adapted one from Neil and N8N has a whole library - if you want my exact one lmk in the comments! 2️⃣ Click on all the icons in your workflow to set up access to each of the connection points (see image 2 below): Telegram, OpenAI, Google calendar/email, Todoist, any other tools you want to add. Tweak the text instructions for each integration to suit your preferences (e.g. time zone, etc). This step may require additional googling on how to set up APIs and access tokens, if you're like me and have never done this. 3️⃣ Troubleshoot any errors by asking ChatGPT and test your workflow until it works via N8N and your phone! What are some things you're learning as a total beginner to AI?

”I will have seven first priorities.” Said no one good at planning 😅 Since 2015, I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with many social impact organizations to help them navigate: 👉🏾 Coordinating with multiple stakeholders. 👉🏾 Building systems and creating infrastructure to support their good work. 👉🏾 Program design and program launches. Over the years, I’ve noticed a recurring challenge when it comes to getting good ideas off the ground (once funding issues are resolved): → Planning & Prioritization. This can feel especially abstract or difficult in sectors where programming depends on funding cycles or external factors beyond an organization’s control. But here’s the thing: It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Today, I wanted to share one tool and an approach that can help streamline your planning process: 1. Tool: Google Calendar I love using Google Calendar for blocking out tasks—it’s simple, visual, and helps me prioritize. And recently, I’ve discovered Motion App, which allows me to: - Organize tasks by estimated duration and category. - Auto-populate those tasks into my Google Calendar for a seamless workflow. This combo has transformed how I manage time across multiple clients and projects. 2. Approach: Work Backwards Whenever I’m tackling a project, I start at the end goal and reverse-engineer the steps. This helps me: - Identify key milestones. - Spot dependencies and risks early. - Determine who needs to be looped in and when. - And you guessed it: Turn those milestones into smaller tasks and transfer them onto my Google Calendar. Working backward can often start as a messy process, but it ensures that critical things don't fall through the cracks. Planning and prioritization may never be perfect, but they can improve with intention and the right systems. I’d love to hear: - What tools have helped you stay organized? - Do you have a go-to strategy for tackling complex projects?