Windows Calendar is an easy-to-use application that can help you keep track of your daily to-dos and coordinate schedules with family members or co-workers. You can create appointments or activities, organize a task list, and even share your calendar with others.

To access your calendar, go to the Start button, mouse over All Programs, and locate Windows Calendar. The calendar is split into three separate sections. The left section contains a mini calendar that is used to navigate among months and years. Below the mini calendar is a list of the personal calendars you’ve created, and underneath that is your personalized task list. The middle section contains your calendar. You can change the view of your calendar by clicking View and choosing Day, Work Week, Week, or Month. The third section is titled Details. This is where you will customize your appointments and tasks by assigning dates and locations, setting reminders, and more.

Create an appointment. To create a new appointment, event, or activity, simply click New Appointment, found on the top-left portion of the page. In the Details section, give your appointment or event a name, such as Painting Class. You have the option of filling in the Location field and a Web site address. Under Appointment Information, choose a date for your event by using the drop-down calendar and designate a time by typing it in the field or clicking the Up and Down arrows. If your event is recurring, such as a weekly painting class, you can set the event to repeat periodically using the Recurrence option. Use the drop-down box to choose Every Day, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly. The Advanced option allows you to set a start and end date for recurring events. For example, if your Wednesday painting class begins in October and ends in November, you can place an appointment on every Wednesday until the end of November in one fell swoop. The Reminder section allows you to set a time for Windows Calendar to remind you of the upcoming event. You can choose to be reminded of the event as far in advance as two weeks or as soon as the event starts. The Participants section allows you to invite friends and family to the event via email, using your Windows Contacts address book, an application we will highlight later in the article. To edit your appointments, simply double-click the item on your calendar and change the information in the Details section.

Create a task. Crossing jobs off of a task list is a great way to stay motivated. To add a job to your task list, click New Task on the top menu bar. In the Details section, give your task a name, such as Walk Dog, and assign a start date and/or due date. Set a reminder if you wish and look to the Tasks section on the left to see that your new task has been added to the list. When you’ve completed a task, check it off your list by clicking the corresponding box and remove it by right-clicking and choosing Delete.

Create multiple calendars. You can create multiple calendars and color-code events to associate them with different calendars. This can be useful if you want to have separate calendars for work events and family events or to share your calendar with the family members or co-workers who also use your computer. With multiple calendars, they can add their own color-coded events to your calendar so that everyone can coordinate schedules. To add a new calendar, go to the File menu and choose New Calendar. In the left section, you’ll see your new calendar is listed under Calendars. In the Details section, name your new calendar and color-code it by using the Color drop-down list. You can view all of your calendars simultaneously, or you can compare single calendars by clicking the checkbox next to each calendar’s name in the left section.

The Windows Calendar application has other, more advanced features that we haven’t covered here, such as publishing your calendar to a Web site. You can find directions on how to accomplish these tasks by clicking the Help button found on the top menu bar.

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