Google Calendar App Can Now Help You Meet Goals

If you have trouble setting or sticking with goals — such as exercising regularly — Google Calendar’s latest feature might be worth checking out.

Announced Tuesday in a Google blog post, it’s called simply “Goals” and is available for the Google Calendar app for Android and iOS mobile devices.

To use the new Goals feature, start by setting up a personal goal and a frequency for it, such as running three times per week.

From there, Google Calendar goes about finding time in your schedule for you to meet the goal. If a time conflict comes up unexpectedly, you can rearrange events. Or, you can hit a “defer” button that prompts Google Calendar to find room for you to run later.

The blog post notes:

Calendar actually gets better at scheduling the more you use it — just defer, edit or complete your goals like normal, and Calendar will choose even better times in the future.

Of course, downsides to the Goals feature include that it assumes you already use Google Calendar or are willing to start using it.

Using the feature also requires a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet computer. While Google Calendar itself can be used on any type of computer with an internet browser, the Goals feature is only available for mobile devices.

But if those factors aren’t issues for you, Goals might be for you.

As TechCrunch notes, the feature is similar to those of apps that are designed to improve your productivity:

Goals’ purpose is not very different from many other personal productivity apps designed to help people create healthy habits.

In fact, Goals integrates many of the features from Timeful, a smart scheduling app Google acquired last year.

What’s your favorite app or other tool for helping you meet goals? Let us know below or on Facebook.