Interesting ways on how to use Google Drive and Google Calendar!
Often, I’m searching online and run across a cool hack I didn’t realize I could do with a tool I’m already using to make it more efficient. Working as a remote team with employees across the globe at Hibox means we’ve learned quite a few tricks to manage projects, communicate, and stay productive with a variety of tools. Here we’ll share with you a few nifty ways to use Google Drive and Google Calendar that we’ve discovered.
1. Use Google Drive Folders to organize your projects your way with task management
Instead of sending multiple versions of files via email, we set up folders in Google Drive for all of our projects so that we all have the latest versions in one place. It’s pretty commonplace and no-one can even imagine how we kept documents straight before Drive. But we’ve taken it a step further and integrated Google Drive into our chat and task management in Hibox. Not only can we keep track of shared Google Drive files and folders, but we can also assign tasks using them. It’s much easier to see what tasks pertain to which files by directly attaching them.
2. Use Hibox Scheduler with Google Drive Calendar to set up group calls your way
One of the things you probably don’t realize is how much time it takes emailing back and forth and to set up appointments. Even if it’s handy to schedule in Google Calendar and then get notifications, it’s still a pain. Try using Hibox Scheduler to schedule calls, meetings, etc. at times that work for everyone with just one step. Hibox Scheduler allows you to send anyone a link to a schedule of your available times so they can book when is best for them. It’s then immediately added to your Google calendar. You won’t believe how much time and confusion you save.
3. Use Google Forms for quick opinions and decisions
Of all the ways to use Google Drive, Google Forms is an underutilized product. We’ve found incredibly helpful for making decisions and getting opinions organized with our remote team. We create a form and send it out to our whole team through one of our streams on Hibox, so that everyone can fill it out and we can easily collect results in one same place. It’s a lot easier than asking questions via email which is difficult to keep track of. Everyone can then see results in one place on Google Drive or in Hibox.
4. Use Toggl to track time spent on projects
Normally used by freelancers, Toggl is awesome for tracking time spent on projects to monitor and improve productivity or figure out how much time certain tasks take. You can configure Toggl with a Google Document or Sheet to see how much time is spent working on various websites and projects, and then track your results. You’ll know in the future how much time certain projects and tasks take so you can better allocate time with your team.
5. Collaborate and brainstorm on living documents while chatting
Teamwork is key but it can be hard to facilitate good brainstorming and group work, online or in person. We’ve found that combining group chat with living documents on Google Drive is a great way to brainstorm while making things happen. To do this, we integrate Google Drive with Hibox chat streams. We set up chat streams for our projects or departments like “Content Marketing” or “Sales” and share documents in our streams that everyone has access to. We can group chat to discuss new ideas, work together in real time on the documents, and keep the latest version of our work in one place.
These are just a few of the ways to use Google Drive and Google Calendar that we’ve found have really boosted our productivity. They make working together easier, especially when using two tools that everyone already uses!
