Scheduling Efficiency and Outlook

Dear Colleagues,

As a new semester starts, we want to take a moment to highlight the importance of maintaining our Outlook calendars. Inconsistencies in the way Outlook calendars are being utilized across campus have become more common lately, which may be affecting our overall ability to coordinate meetings. With many of us at various locations at any given time, being able to access up-to-date calendars is more important than ever.

To ensure seamless collaboration and the most efficient use of everyone’s very valuable time, we encourage you to keep the following in mind as you review your Outlook calendar daily:

1. Update Availability: Regularly update your availability on the calendar by blocking out times you are in class, meetings, traveling, or off campus. This will assist others in identifying suitable meeting times.
2. Send Meeting Invitations: Schedule meetings through Outlook. This will help in tracking attendance, sharing agendas, and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
3. Include Relevant Details: When scheduling a meeting, include relevant details such as the purpose of the meeting, location (in-person or Teams), agenda, and any pre-work that needs to be done. This ensures that participants are well-prepared.

Incorporating these simple suggestions into your day-to-day work will enhance our overall organizational collaboration and efficiency and improve ease our quality of communications.