An essential part of smooth everyday life is being aware of where your partner is and what he or she is doing – without having to call them every time. One of the biggest steps in optimizing our relationship IT systems has been syncing our calendars.

We both use a personal electronic Google calendar which we have shared with each other. We can warmly recommend Google calendars as a Google account is easy to sync with different types of gadgets (phones, pads, computers). It is also supported by different operating systems – in case you happen to have a similar continuous debate over iOS vs. Android at home like we do 😉 This way you can also add new events to your calendar on any advice which gives you more flexibility in using your calendar.

There are clear rules about using the calendar:

• All personal appointments must be added to your own Google calendar. The place and address of the appointment should added if it’s not obvious from the title.
• If you wish your partner to participate in an event with you (such as friend’s birthday party), you must send a Google calendar invite
• If one of you has made an appointment (such as girl’s night) with the place “At home”, that person has reserved the right to use your joint home for that event

Now that you are both aware of each other’s schedules, it is also much easier to schedule joint appointments (such as brunch with friends) and suggest times that you know will fit both of your calendars without unnecessary hassle. In addition you can schedule your private appointments (such as seeing your own friends) at a time when your partner is also away from home. This helps you maximize the time spent together as a couple 🙂

Here is an example week of our calendars, Sonja in blue, Tommi in green.