Making Your Life Easier with Google Tools
Goal: more organized + more efficient = more productive
Gmail
Advanced Search (efficiency)
Use Advanced Search tools to find that email more quickly - How to…
Starred messages (organization)
“Star” your messages to help organize, keep track of replies, etc. - How to...
Vacation Responder (Out of office reply) (organization)
Let people know that you won’t be getting back to them right away - How to...
Undo Send (comfort!)
Buy yourself some time if you have an “oops” and need to “unsend” a message - How to...
Preview Pane Lab (efficiency)
Preview your messages without having to open each one - How to...
Gmail Templates (efficiency)
Send the same message to people on a regular basis? Create a “canned response”! - How to…
Filters (organization)
Create filters to send emails to folders automatically - How to...
Contact Groups (efficiency)
Send information and share documents easily by creating contact groups in Gmail - How to…
Calendar:
Busy Search (efficiency)
See if someone is free BEFORE you suggest a time! Use the calendar to see who is free when - How to...
Create a New Calendar (organization)
Create multiple calendars to keep various activities and appointments straight- How to...
Share a Calendar (efficiency)
Allow others to see/edit your calendars - How to...
Private/Public Calendar Events (organization)
Control the privacy options of each event on your calendar - How to...
Color Code (organization)
Use color coding to assist in organizing your events - How to… (scroll ALL the way to the bottom for this one!)
Task List (organization)
Duplicate/Repeat Events (efficiency)
Drive:
Creating Folders (organization)
Need more organization in Google Drive? Create folders to manage your data - How to…
Share folders (efficiency)
Instead of sharing every file with the same people, share a folder instead - How to...
Advanced Search (organization)
Use Advanced Search tools to narrow your search in Google Drive - How to…
Use the Recent folder
User the Starred folder
Color code (organization)
Are you a visual person? Color code your folders for more organization - How to...
Sharing Methods (efficiency)
There are a variety of ways to share a document with others - share files, folders, subfolders…. Some tips...
Working offline (efficiency)
You can work on your Google Docs while offline - How to…
Upload settings (efficiency)
Set your default upload settings to convert (or not) uploaded documents to Google Docs format - How to…
Add to multiple folders
Use CTRL + Click (COMMAND + Click for mac) to add a file to more than one “folder”- Some tips... (scroll all the way down for this one!)
Docs:
Documents -
Inserting Images (productivity)
Dress up your document by adding images and changing wrap options - How to...
Using Tables (organization)
Use a table to arrange your layout more to your liking - How to...
Text boxes (productivity)
Use the Insert Drawing feature to add a text box to add flexibility to your layout - How to...
Download / Upload (productivity)
Forms/spreadsheets:
Collecting data (efficiency)
Notification rules (organization)
Receive a notification when someone submits a form, edits a spreadsheet, etc. - How to...
Make a copy (efficiency)
Reuse a form by making a copy; share a document and have students make a copy to edit, etc. - How to...
Copy/Paste options (efficiency)
Copy and paste a bulleted list into multiple choice, checkboxes, choose from a list options!
Summary of Responses (productivity)
See an overview of responses to a survey with charts and percentages already calculated - How to…
Pre-fill Responses (efficiency)
Pre-fill selected answers on a form - How to...
Chrome:
Create Multiple Home Pages (efficiency)
Open all your most commonly used websites with one click by creating multiple homepages - How to…
Arrange Tabs (efficiency)
Move tabs or drag to new windows to move quickly from window to window - How to…
Pin Tabs
“Pin” tabs to your list so they are always available but not taking up space - How to...
Incognito Window (efficiency)
For when you don’t want your information tracked or you need to login in a separate window - How to...
Apps/Extensions (productivity)
Increases your productivity by adding functionality to your Chrome browser -
Chrome App Launcher (efficiency)
Launch your apps from your desktop - Install here…
Set timer (productivity)
Set a timer quickly and easily by typing “Set timer 6 min” (for example) in the omnibox!
External Google Doc link for an outline and resources. (Click here)