Your Calendar, Handled

The scheduling bot

Connect it to your calendar and email. Check your app's connector list to see which calendar services it supports.

Setting your Ask first rules

Before you go any further, set up the rules that keep every bot in this book safe. Grok Bot has a feature that checks actions before a bot takes them, and you can add your own Ask first rules. My first book walks through it step by step. For life admin, I'd add:

• Ask first before sending any email or message.
• Ask first before buying anything or making any payment.
• Ask first before accepting, declining or booking anything.
• Ask first before deleting anything.

Tidying up

Most calendars are a mess. Old recurring events nobody goes to anymore.

Reminders that work

Reminders are where a scheduling bot pays off. Not just "dentist at 3".

Finding a time

One of the most annoying jobs in life admin is finding a time that works for several people. A family dinner.

Invitations

Invitations come in by email all the time. Some you want, some you don't, some clash with something else.

Booking appointments

Many places let you book appointments online now. Doctors, dentists, haircuts, car service.

The morning brief

Once the calendar is tidy, a short morning brief is one of the nicest routines you can set up.

Shared family calendars

If you share a calendar with a partner or family, the bot can help keep it in order too. But be careful.

Walkthrough: setting up the scheduling bot

That's an evening's work, and it's the base for everything else in this book.

What went wrong: the double-booked Saturday

In the first week, the Parks asked the bot to book a haircut "on Saturday morning". It found a 10 AM slot and prepared the booking.

A worked example: renewal season

Every fall, the Parks' car insurance, home insurance and two memberships come up for renewal within a few weeks of each other. Before the bots, they paid whatever the renewal said.

Questions people ask

Should the bot accept invitations for me? No.