Everything I do is usually reflected in my calendar. If I need to visit a doctor, I create a private event so no one can book that time if it happens during work, and no one can see what exactly it is. Maintaining two calendars (personal and work) is painful, because you still need to book a slot in your work calendar, which requires some synchronization or extra effort. Using just one calendar (the work one) is much simpler.
The problem is that making an event private is a hassle — you need to click through many different things in the Google Calendar UI. Another problem is commuting: sometimes you need extra time to travel, but you want the doctor’s event to start at the actual time of the appointment, not before. This requires creating another event in the calendar called "Commuting" with a duration that depends on the distance.
To simplify these issues, I created automation that does the following:
- When an event name starts with "C30", it creates an additional event named "Commuting" with a duration of 30 minutes, scheduled right before the event with "C30" in its name.
- If you add "P" at the start of the event name, it will automatically make this event private.
Now I just create an event called "PC30 Doctor," and it automatically becomes private, with a 30-minute commuting event added right before the doctor appointment.