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Let your important appointments pop on the screen by applying color, and then automate that color theme throughout your Calendar.

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4.06, Color Code Appointments - Exercise.docx
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Quick reference

Color Code Appointments

Applying Color to appointments is a good way to prioritize for at-a-glance recognition of topics.

When to use

By default, your calendar will look the same for every appointment. Applying color will eliminate the tedious visual review and make at-a-glance decision-making about your day or week easier and faster.

Instructions

Show As
  • The first level of color code is the Show As settings.
  • Right-click an appointment and choose a Show As option.

  • Once applied, the left edge of the appointment will change its color or pattern.

Categorize
  • The 2nd level of color coding is manually applying category colors to individual appointments or meetings.
  • Right-click an appointment and choose Categorize then choose a color or select All Categories for more color options.

  • This method applies color to an individual appointment and will not repeat itself automatically.
  • The All Categories section can be customized to Rename the colors with your own topics.
Conditional formatting
  • The 3rd level of color coding is applying a Conditional Format to automatically color an appointment based on a word typed into the subject line.
  • Right-click a blank area of the calendar and choose View Settings.

 

  • OR Select the View ribbon and choose View Settings.


    

  • Select “Conditional Formatting”

  • Click Add and type the name of this rule.
  • Select a color.
  • Click Condition or this will not work!

  • Enter the condition (words) that will trigger the color

Note: If using multiple trigger words, use a comma between them; without a comma it will treat it like a phrase.

  • If the appointment did not change color, there may be a couple of reasons:
  1. Is the trigger word spelled correctly? Check your settings again.
  2. Did you already apply a Category color on the appointment? A manual category color will ALWAYS override the automatic color.
  • To confirm, right-click the appointment and select Categorize, Clear All Categories.

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  • 00:05 We're going to set up color-coding and then automatic color-coding, and
  • 00:08 you might be wondering why.
  • 00:09 Well, when I look at my calendar right now, I have to read the heading of each
  • 00:13 one of these appointments to decide how important they are,
  • 00:17 what priority level they are.
  • 00:18 And then I switch to my next sweet calendar.
  • 00:21 And then when I come back, I have to read the headings again.
  • 00:24 This is a lot of work and a lot of redundant thinking.
  • 00:27 Let's just color code these and then I can tell by which color it
  • 00:31 is the level of importance because I'm making my own color system.
  • 00:35 Okay, let's go ahead and start.
  • 00:36 First of all, I want to show you how to manually color just one appointment.
  • 00:40 Single click the appointment.
  • 00:41 Notice up on top, I have an Appointment ribbon and a Categorize.
  • 00:45 And then I can choose which color to apply to it.
  • 00:48 I can also right click the appointment, categorize and
  • 00:51 choose which color to apply to it, so I'll put a blue one on there.
  • 00:55 Okay, so that particular one, I manually did that.
  • 00:58 Was going to take a lot of work to do all of the appointments.
  • 01:02 I think we should automate the process.
  • 01:04 So in a blank area of your calendar, simply right click and
  • 01:08 notice View Settings is just right there by my mouse.
  • 01:12 Now I could go to the view ribbon to view settings.
  • 01:15 That's a lot of work when it's right there on the right-click.
  • 01:18 Click on View Settings, read the list and right down here,
  • 01:19 we have Conditional Formatting.
  • 01:20 I'm going to add a new rule called Meeting.
  • 01:26 Now this isn't the condition, that's the name of the rule.
  • 01:29 The color I want to apply to my meetings is going to be teal.
  • 01:32 I have to hit the Condition, don't forget to hit the Condition button.
  • 01:35 If there's no Condition, nothing happens.
  • 01:37 If I type the word meet, how about shorten it to MTG for Meeting?
  • 01:43 How about conference?
  • 01:44 Any of those words in the subject field will turn the color teal.
  • 01:47 Be sure to read the rest of the screen, and
  • 01:49 look in the background because you have even more choices that you can apply.
  • 01:53 I usually just keep it short, sweet and simple.
  • 01:56 Clicking OK and OK and OK.
  • 01:58 And now my other meetings,
  • 02:00 even my event with the word meeting in it just turned teal.
  • 02:05 Let me advance to the following week, there's one as well.
  • 02:08 All right, now let's set up another one because I've got Focus Time set up now.
  • 02:11 Remember Focus Time will disable all the bells and whistles,
  • 02:15 all the reminders and the email bells that come on while you're working.
  • 02:19 So I'm going to right click, View Settings,
  • 02:23 Conditional Formatting, and then Add a new one.
  • 02:26 I'm going to call this my Focus Time.
  • 02:28 This is the name of the rule.
  • 02:29 Now, my Focus Time to be bright yellow.
  • 02:32 What's my condition?
  • 02:33 Has to have the word Focus.
  • 02:37 OK, OK, OK, it just turned yellow.
  • 02:41 Going to the next page, turned yellow as well.
  • 02:43 Let's set up a brand new Focus Time, selecting an area of my calendar,
  • 02:48 come up to the Home ribbon, click the Add Focus Time button.
  • 02:53 Hit Save and Close and it's automatically yellow.
  • 02:56 Okay, let's go back a week.
  • 02:59 Look at this one.
  • 02:59 I had pre-colored this one blue, then I set up the teal.
  • 03:03 Why didn't this turn teal?
  • 03:06 Because when you manually color code an appointment,
  • 03:08 it will override the automation.
  • 03:10 You still have total control over the colors on your screen.
  • 03:13 All right, so here's your assignment.
  • 03:15 Set up your Calendar colors and watch them all light up.
  • 03:19 It looks nice, and in my brain, it shows me priorities on my screen at a glance and
  • 03:25 I don't have to read all the labels.

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